A Guild Master's pride
by MajorShipper519
Summary: Azazel, the guild master of a raiding guild that had been defeated by [Ainz Ooal Gown] in the past, is transported into the New World a few months after Ainz's subjugation of the frost dragons. How will Azazel's appearance affect Ainz's 10,000 year plan for taking over the New World?(This fanfiction is meant to be a different take on a volume 12 for overlord)
1. Second Chances

**Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord**

"Pathetic... this is pathetic."

a large dragon like figure grumbled as it paced back and forth in the swamplands near the entrance of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The draconic figure stood at 2.6-meters tall and 1-meter wide. Its tail was almost twice its height and it sported wings that were a few inches wider than his body on either side. It had a bulky figure covered in scales all over. Its body was a mesh of gray and black, its eyes were a sea of blue with a black reptile-like pupil in the center

This imposing figure was a player who went by the name of Azazel, he was the guild master of [Zehid Regime], a guild that primarily focused on raids, they engaged in any and all activities that involved attacking something, from boss raids, to dungeon raids, and even guild base raids, you name it they've done it.

For years, they were infamous for completely decimating every raid that the game put up, and every guild base that gained a reputation for being undefeated. Their infamy got so widespread that eventually spreading rumors about a base's strength became a weapon that other guilds utilized to get rid of enemy guilds.

Naturally, Azazel was proud of his guild and his guildmates. He thought they were an unstoppable force, and he carried immense pride in knowing that he was the guild master of that amazing guild, he enjoyed those days and thought that they would last forever.

Drunk on his guild's success and reputation Azazel grew prideful, as did the guild. Most of them were still pleasant and all-around normal people, but deep inside they all held a feeling of superiority brought about by their guild's prestige.

Almost like God's response to Azazel and [Zehid Regime]'s hubris, A guild known as [Ainz Ooal Gown] suddenly showed up and changed everything. Azazel gritted his teeth at the memory. The proud raiding guild that destroyed all dungeons and guild bases in its path was defeated by some random guild of heteromorphic races.

As if their defeat wasn't enough it was later found out that [Zehid Regime] had only made it to the 6th floor out of a total of 8. It was the most shameful memory Azazel had and it placed an irremovable stain on [Zehid Regime]'s record.

After their crushing defeat, the guild swore to someday take down [Ainz Ooal Gown] and once again establish their guild as a force to be reckoned with. However, that vow never came to pass. His companions were disheartened by the crushing loss, and their pride had taken a massive dive. Combine that with the string of defeats that followed their loss to [Ainz Ooal Gown] and YGGDRASIL's waning popularity and you have the perfect conditions for quitting, and so one by one his guildmates left the game, dropping like flies. Now out of their 72 members only he remained in the game.

Despite that, when Azazel heard of the news that YGGDRASIL was shutting down for good he actually found some happiness in that news. Not because the game he poured his soul into was coming to an end, but because he had a chance to bring his comrades back together again, and make a second attempt at conquering The Great Tomb of Nazarick, at defeating [Ainz Ooal Gown].

Using the shutting down of YGGDRASIL servers as motivation he sent a mass email to his former guild mates.

He gave what he believed to be a rousing speech about reclaiming their lost glory at the very end before it was too late, about leaving the game without any regrets, and most importantly about defeating [Ainz Ooal Gown] before it was too late, before their defeat would be immortalized in the game.

Yet, even after all that he said in that email. Not a single guild member had shown up. There were 5 minutes left before the servers shut down and Azazel had been standing there for hours, in the swamplands outside Nazarick awaiting his comrades. Roaring in anger, Azazel vented his frustrations at the night sky that spread out above him.

"Why didn't they show up?! Don't they care about the guild anymore?!... Don't they care about avenging our loss?!"

Azazel, in his fury, swung a large double-edged battle axe at a nearby monster that had gotten too close, instantly killing it.

The axe in question was [Zehid Regime]'s guild weapon, Mjolnir. The axe rivaled Azazel in height and was wide enough to be practically impossible for a normal human to wield, but not enough to be unbalanced.

Its handle was a dark black color while the axe's blade itself was crimson-red. The weapon was crafted out of the rarest prismatic metals so it's durability and sharpness was of the highest order, but what made it truly special as a guild weapon was not the material it was made of, but the gem that was embedded in the axe's center.

That gem was the world class item [Mjolnir's Gem], named after the strongest weapon in Norse Mythology, that gem was a world class item that could be used for crafting, it gave any weapon it was built into a special ability.

That ability was transformation. This axe wasn't just an axe, with a few simple commands Azazel, as the guild master, could transform the weapon into another weapon, or into another state entirely. One minute he'd be wielding a metal axe, the next he could be holding a Lance of flames. The gem allowed for 20 different transformations, the ratio of weapon transformations to state transformations was left completely up to the player's discretion. In Azazel's hand was the single most all-purpose weapon in YGGDRASIL, thus Azazel was quite possibly the most dynamic and versatile player in all of Alfheimr when he wielded this weapon. Even Touch-Me the strongest player in Alfheimr would have trouble securing a win against Azazel as he was now.

That was without factoring in the advantage Azazel's racial and class levels gave him in single combat. Azazel was a [Dragonoid] while most people of his race had an elemental attribute attached to them, he had chosen to have no element. While this deprived him of the many advantages aligning with an element gave such as immunity to said element, and ability to use magic pertaining to said element. It more than made up for it with the future possibilities it opened the door to.

His choice of going without an element gave him slightly higher than average resistance and defense to physical damage and sub-par magical resistance and defense. Those stats weren't very appealing which is why most players opted for aligning with an element.

However, after gaining 15 levels in [Greater Normal Dragonoid] the job classes [Draconic Knight], [Greater Draconic Knight], and finally [Legendary Draconic Knight] appeared for Azazel. This class gave him absolute resistance to physical damage and boosted his magical defenses to a passable level.

Combined with his divine-class items that strengthened magical defense, Azazel boasted an extremely high resistance to damage in general. Making him the perfect tank against both warriors and magic casters, and a terrifying opponent to face in a 1v1.

However, he had one glaring weakness, a weakness that was added because of multiple players complaining about the character build being broken thus forcing the GM's to nerf it, this weakness was his weak defense against piercing type attacks. While his body was built to endure against wide attacks with high attack potency. He could not deal with the same attack focused onto a small point. Of course, an enemy player would have to launch a piercing attack that went beyond a certain threshold of damage for said player to exploit Azazel's weakness. As a result [Lancer] classes were his biggest enemies, [Bowmen] were second in line.

Regardless of that new weakness however, Azazel was still a force to be reckoned with. Yet despite all the strength Azazel possessed, in that moment Azazel did not feel like the accomplished player that he was.

He felt pathetic, Azazel's pride would not allow him to forget his defeat by the hands of [Ainz Ooal Gown]. He was furious at his guildmates who suffered the same loss he did but didn't have the same feelings about it as he did, but at the same time Azazel was jealous of them.

Unlike him, his guildmates had other things in their lives to cling to. Azazel only ever had YGGDRASIL, the only thing he could cling to in his life was his former glory in a game. His guildmates had friends, family, and possibly lovers. On the other hand, Azazel had none of that... well he did have a family, but he didn't care much for them.

After all they hated him, claiming that he was a useless son who spent his days wasting time on a pointless game. To put it bluntly his family viewed him as a defect in the family. Azazel chuckled to himself as he mused about how hard it must be for his elitist father to have a hikikimori in the house.

An explosion of colors in the sky tore Azazel from his thoughts, the fireworks had begun. Azazel looked at the clock on his menu [23:55:47]. Though Azazel had already resigned himself to losing YGGDRASIL, one of the sole joys he had found in life, he still hadn't resigned himself to the fact that he'd never get retribution for his guild, and for himself.

Although the best escape from his reality was now coming to an end and he would once again be forced to brave the cold fronts of the real world. The only thing Azazel could think about was how frustrated he was for never getting the chance to defeat [Ainz Ooal Gown].

Azazel spent the last few moments of YGGDRASIL filled with regret as he stared at the entrance to Nazarick, and thus the countdown started.

[23:59:54...55...56...57...58...59...]

[00:00:01]

Azazel blinked twice, staring dumbly into empty space

"Huh?"

In the moment when he was supposed to be forcibly logged out of YGGDRASIL the landscape suddenly shifted, the swamplands started spinning around collecting into one big spiraling mess and slowly disappearing into the center. When the spinning of the world around him had finished the swampland was gone and he now found himself in the middle of nowhere, surrounded in darkness, and most importantly still in YGGDRASIL. Blinking a few more times for good measure, Azazel struggled to maintain his composure. After gaining a semblance of his calmness back. Many thoughts flashed through Azazel's head

 _"Was there some kind of delay in the shutdown? Was the shutdown canceled? Was there a mistake in my forced logout?"_

Azazel knew none of the answers to his questions, realizing trying to figure it out by himself was futile Azazel tried to open the menu to get in contact with a GM. When the menu refused to show up no matter what he tried that semblance of calm Azazel had managed to scrape together tied a noose around its neck and promptly hung itself.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

Azazel's panic filled cry echoed throughout the darkness, shaking the walls around him causing loose pebbles to fall from above.

As if in mockery of his confusion several pebbles fell on top of Azazel's head. Of course, none of them actually hurt him due to his [Absolute Physical Damage Invalidation] which didn't let most physical attacks damage him.

A dazed Azazel lumbered around the dark space around him, being a Dragonoid he was a creature that could see well in the dark. He realized now that he was in some sort of chasm, the space above him was vast and seemingly endless. Even with his advanced sight Azazel could not see where that space ended or how high up it went.

After staring up at the vast space above him for about 5 minutes while moving around, Azazel was forced to look down when his foot sank into something soft and mushy. Azazel looked down and found his foot submerged into a corpse's open gut. Ahead of him there were countless more corpses like the one his foot was in. The corpses had varying levels of intactness, some were missing heads, others had missing halves, and others were so messed up you couldn't even tell that it was once alive, but in the end, they were all corpses.

The Azazel 7 minutes ago would have run away screaming at this sight, but strangely enough as the feelings of disgust and fear rose up in Azazel's stomach, as he felt the vomit start working its way up his throat, he suddenly calmed down and lost all traces of his previous emotion. It was as if some invisible presence had forcibly halted his emotions, there was a voice in the back of his head whispering "This much is only natural for lower-life forms such as these". That voice gave Azazel pause. He wondered when exactly he had started thinking of other species as lower-life forms, he'd certainly thought of himself as better than others but he never claimed to be of a higher existence than them.

Shaking the thought from his head, a now calm Azazel removed his foot from the corpse, took a step back from the pile or corpses and began analyzing the situation. In front of him was a pile of broken corpses, not a single corpse was intact in any way. Therefore, he could only assume that these corpses had fallen from whatever lay at the end of the vast space above him, or was thrown from it. Perhaps this place was a dumping site for the dead, but since Azazel had no way of confirming that he decided to move that thought to the back of his mind for now.

After this new evidence had come to light Azazel was now convinced that he was in a chasm of some sort, the question he had to answer now was if he was alone, and if he wasn't, who was with him, how many were they, how strong were they. As staying where he was would have accomplished nothing Azazel decided to push on and search for other intelligent creatures that were not dead.

He waded through the sea of corpses in front of him. After Azazel had taken a few steps through, he suddenly sensed three presences moving towards him from the back. Muttering something about shitty timing, Azazel turned around and brandished Mjolnir preparing himself for a fight. In the distance, the shadow of three large dragons came into view. They landed at the corner of the corpse sea, careful not to touch them.

The one in front was bigger than the other two who stayed behind, this one was likely the alpha of the group. It rose its head high as if to look down on Azazel, he then spoke

"What is your name... creature, I haven't seen anything like you before?"

Azazel lowered his guard, before him was a group of low level green dragons. This group of three could be slaughtered with a single hit each from Azazel's weapon.

However, one thing caught Azazel's interest. They were talking, their mouths were moving, their facial expressions were changing, and most importantly they were talking. Azazel's brain went into overdrive as possibilities flashed through his head.

 _"Is this an update of some sort? YGGDRASIL 2 or something?"_

Azazel gave that line of thought some serious consideration, but decided it didn't make sense that they wouldn't announce something that important.

 _"What the hell is going on? This shouldn't be possible. Was I transported into another- No that can't be, what is this an anime? There's no way."_

Azazel decided to treat the dragons like NPC'S. Albeit sentient NPC's, but at the end of the day still NPC's

"Isn't it polite to give your name first before asking for someone else's?"

The dragon bared its teeth, clearly, he was trying to threaten Azazel, who remained unflinching.

"You are not in a position to be speaking to me in that tone, However I will forgive it if you beg for forgiveness… Hand me that weapon too, my treasure sense is itching."

The dragon added a low growl to the end of his sentence to imply the consequences of refusing.

Azazel snorted at the arrogance of this weakling in front of him. Angered by Azazel's reaction, the dragon struck his large arm at Azazel's figure. A large sound emanated from the impact of the dragon's large hand crashing into Azazel's figure.

Much to the dragon's surprise, Azazel was not sent flying by the strike, on the contrary the dragonkin could not remove his hand from Azazel, who had grabbed the dragon's wrist with one hand.

Azazel laughed as he tightened his grip on the dragon's arm. Roars of pain and the sounds of bones breaking rang throughout the chasm. After thoroughly crushing its arm Azazel released the dragon, allowing it to rear back in fear.

"YOU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Azazel laughed, a playful smile danced around his lips.

"Hey, remember what you said about letting me live if I begged for forgiveness?"

The dragon's eyes widened in fear and understanding. It immediately forgot the pain in its hands and prostrated itself before Azazel's figure. Satisfied, Azazel turned his gaze onto the other two dragons, who were shaking uncontrollably from head to toe. Yelping in surprise at his gaze they immediately assumed the same position as their alpha. Grunting to himself in satisfaction, Azazel approached the dragon that attacked him

"So, tell me, what's your name?"

"Zynaicri=Jervom!"

Azazel turned his gaze over to the two other dragons, who frantically spurted out their names upon meeting Azazel's gaze

"Romrenth=Mymmer!"

"Gieldrycriss=Jinnid!"

Azazel laughed as he walked past Zynaicri, dragging Mjolnir along lazily causing a scraping sound to ring out as he moved. Zynaicri tensed up as Azazel walked past him, refusing to relax even when Azazel was completely behind him. Eying the dragons up and down, a sadistic smile broke out on Azazel's face.

"Oh, I wasn't asking for your names"

With that same smile on his face Azazel swung Mjolnir, and in one instant he lopped of both Romrenth and Gieldrycriss's head. The two dragon's bodies fell to the ground like puppets whose strings have been cut.

Zynaicri stared wide-eyed at the bodies of his fellow dragonkin who, in an instant, were reduced to just another corpse in the Great Rift. Zynaicri then lifted his gaze from the corpses to Azazel who looked like he was relishing the moment.

"W-Why?"

"Hmmm? Why? you ask… It's quite simple really, they were unnecessary"

A shiver went through Zynaicri's body as he heard Azazel's cruel words

"And besides…"

Azazel went on

"I was in a pretty bad mood, and I needed to let of some steam. So, it was perfect timing I guess"

Azazel turned his gaze back at Zynaicri, who was doing his best to make himself as small as possible which wasn't easy given that he was at least twice Azazel's size.

"Alright, tell me everything you know"

"E-Everything…?"

"Hmmm, I suppose that is a bit vague, let's start with… where the hell are we?"

"Uhh, we are in the Great Rift"

"Uh-huh, and where is the Great Rift?"

"The Great Rift is a giant chasm located within the Azerlisia Mountains"

Azazel narrowed his eyes at Zynaicri.

"If you don't start making sense, and fast… I'll turn you into a corpse. WHERE THE FUCK IS THE AZERLISIA MOUNTAINS?! I've never even heard of such a place in YGGDRASIL, you trying to lie to me?"

Zynaicri made a sound that was decidedly not very dragon-like, it was more reminiscent of a scared dog than a massive dragon.

"N-No… I-I swear I'm not lying, we really are in the Azerlisia Mountains."

Zynaicri wanted to say more, specifically he wanted to ask what the hell YGGDRASIL was but out of fear for his life he kept his mouth shut. After a brief pause that felt like an eternity to the quivering dragon, Azazel let out a long sigh

"Alright then, tell me where exactly the Azerlisia Mountains is"

"Uhh…The Azerlisia Mountains lies in between the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire"

Azazel stopped questioning Zynaicri. He walked away from the dragon who breathed a sigh of relief. Azazel had never heard of those names in his life.

 _"Is it possible?"_

He thought to himself, after mulling over the matter for a good while Azazel came to the conclusion that he was somehow transported into another world. It wasn't the same as YGGDRASIL, but from his short altercation with the dragons he could tell that it had YGGDRASIL elements. He didn't understand what this meant or how this was possible, but he had accepted it.

Azazel suddenly broke into a laugh as he remembered the first time he had openly rebelled against his father for the sake of YGGDRASIL. His father's face went beet-red as he shouted,

 _"If you like that dumb game so much, why don't you go live in it!"_

Azazel's urge to laugh was suddenly quashed by that same invisible presence from earlier. However, his amusement came back shortly after

 _"Well, old man… it's not exactly the same, but looks like you got your wish."_

Azazel's amusement came to a halt and he was hit with a wave of regret as it suddenly dawned on him that the two dragons whose lives he used as entertainment were not simple NPC's. He glanced at their corpses, and his regret intensified. However, this emotion was shut down as well much like his earlier amusement. In a calmer state of mind, Azazel decided it'd be best to forget and just be more mindful of taking lives in the future.

He turned back towards Zynaicri, who, frightened by Azazel's sudden laughter, was closing his eyes shut.

"Tell me, what's a dragon like you doing in a place like this?"

Zynaicri showed signs of hesitation as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish. To prod him on Azazel subtly threatened him by raising his axe. Zynaicri yelped as he blurted out an answer.

"I'm a part of a large community of dragons, we were all gathered here by the Behemoth Dragon Lord"

Azazel's ears perked up at the words "Dragon Lord"

"Interesting… Tell me more about this Dragon Lord of yours"

"He is a Dragon Lord of monstrous size, even among the other Dragon Lords his size is special. The same can be said of his physical capabilities. While he might not have the strong magic that the other Dragon Lords have, he is head and shoulders above the other Dragon Lords in terms of physical capabilities. He has been in hiding here ever since the Eight Greed Kings showed up. He's our protector as well as our lord."

Azazel was interested in the Eight Greed Kings that Zynaicri mentioned, but he decided to take things one at a time. This Behemoth Dragon Lord was interesting too, Dragons were a particularly proud race, bowing only to overwhelming strength, and their greed. For him to have gained the respect of even a lowly dragon such as Zynaicri, he must be strong. Despite his strength however, he had holed up in some cave after sensing the slightest bit of danger. He would be easy to control, assuming he wasn't some sort of Dungeon Boss Azazel should be able to deal with him easily. Even if he was a Dungeon Boss Mjolnir's multiple weapons, some of which could unleash powerful skills should give him enough of an advantage to win.

"Bring me to this Behemoth Dragon Lord."

With those words Azazel placed Mjolnir into his inventory. He didn't understand it, but somehow he knew exactly what to do to open up his inventory. A pitch-black hole wreathed in a purple glow appeared adjacent to his hand as he shoved Mjolnir in. After checking to make sure he could access it again, he motioned for Zynaicri to lead the way.

Zynaicri gave a grunt of surprise as his eyes widened. Then his facial expressions returned to their former poker face. Truth be told however, Zynaicri was so happy he could jump for sure. While he believed that Azazel was strong, he didn't think for a second that Azazel could compare to the Behemoth Dragon Lord. On the contrary he was looking forward to seeing Azazel get torn apart, if Azazel wasn't right in front of him he would have jumped for joy.

"Understood, please follow me"

* * *

Thabim Bululdr, the great dragon known as Behemoth Dragon Lord, rose from his slumber when his senses picked up an unknown presence so close to his territory.

Thabim was a dragon with extraordinary physical capabilities, even amongst his fellow Dragon Lords his senses were terrifyingly superior. These senses amplified by his surroundings allowed him to sense any presence in the Great Rift, and to an extent even the events that took place. Yet despite that, something had somehow made it so close into his territory without him noticing. He looked around his surroundings at his fellow dragons. It seems none of them have noticed it yet, he didn't expect much but he was quite disappointed that they couldn't at least tell that something was unusual.

"Xolbat"

Thabim called out to his second-in-command, a member of the green dragon race (much like everyone else in his little kingdom). Xolbat turned his head to look at Thabim, bowed once then asked

"What is, My lord?"

"It seems something has managed to get near us, send out a patrol team at once. Capture the intruder if he surrenders, kill him otherwise."

Xolbat's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, any other dragon in this cavern would have reacted the same way had they heard what Xolbat heard. After all it was hard enough to get to the bottom of the Great Rift, but what kind of skill was required to make it down without attracting the attention of the Behemoth Dragon Lord, and what's more it managed to get close.

"I will dispatch a team at once, My lord"

After bowing his head once more, Xolbat flew off to relay Thabim's orders. Thabim watched as a group of three green dragons flew through one of the smaller tunnels they had made for quick and subtle entrance into the main stretch off the Great Rift.

Thabim's abode was simply a cavern that contained the remains of an ancient dwarven stronghold, which was now completely abandoned. While it was within the Great Rift, it wasn't the Great Rift itself.

Thabim observed the presence, interested in how it would react to the arrival of his dragons. Thabim felt the three presences make contact with the intruder. After 3 minutes of observation, the Behemoth Dragon's eyes widened. The intruder had killed two of the dragons in an instant. The feat itself wasn't overly impressive. He himself could do such a thing quite easily, however the fact that this creature could even manage to match up to a Dragon Lord level feat was worthy enough of praise.

His alertness level rapidly rising, Thabim lifted his gigantic body from his treasure hoard and flew towards the entrance of his personal cavern, deciding that he would meet this new foe as an equal at the front gates.

* * *

Azazel reached the end of the tunnel Zynaicri had led him to, and was met with a dragon that made Zynaicri look like a child. It stood at a ridiculous 150 meters and almost half that in width, it's tail was nearly double its height, and it's wing span was at least 1 or 2 meters wider than its body on each side. It was covered in pitch black scales, with gray eyes and a pitch-black pupil. This beast of a Dragon, whom Azazel assumed was the one known as Behemoth Dragon Lord, regarded him with careful eyes despite the overwhelming difference in size.

Azazel grinned, this was an interesting opponent, it was strong enough to be able to discern the strength of even the most powerful beings. From what he could tell, it was around level 80-85. While it was child's play for someone of his caliber, Azazel understood why Zynaicri had fled to the Behemoth's side upon reaching the end of the tunnel. Judging with looks and presence alone, the Behemoth certainly seemed superior.

A booming voice shot through the cavern shaking a few pebbles loose from the ceiling, cutting of Azazel's thoughts.

"State your name intruder!"

With a grin on his face Azazel replied

"I am Azazel, proud leader of the [Zehid Regime] I take it you are the Behemoth Dragon Lord"

"So, you know who I am, yet you still walk through my domain?"

"Hardly, I only heard about you from Zynaicri over there."

"I will give you one warning. Leave now and I will spare you"

Azazel gazed at the Behemoth, a little puzzled, the Behemoth's posture had not changed. It was still on high alert against Azazel, but it's words gave of the opposite message, a condescending tone coupled with arrogant words. Azazel was confused, seeking an answer to his confusion he looked around and noticed the hundreds of dragons looking up at the Behemoth expectantly and he realized it. The dragon was keeping up appearances, he could not let the other dragons see him show weakness.

Azazel could relate to the dragon's problem, appearances were very important after all. They were important things to keep up for a top-class guild. However, he could not give in now just because he sympathized with the opponent, he needed more information and this was the best place to get it. Placing his opponent under his gaze Azazel spoke

"Come and kill me if you can"

The Behemoth's body tensed up, a prelude to his attack, after a moment's pause its giant arms came rushing towards Azazel at a speed that should not have been possible for something of that size. The wind around its wide palm were pushed aside causing a vacuum. While to the other onlookers this movement was as swift as the wind, to Azazel it was unbearably slow.

Azazel bent down to a crouching position on the ground, his figure was the splitting image of a tiger about to pounce on its prey. Azazel allowed the Behemoth's hand to get a little closer before he leapt towards the Behemoth at an alarming speed. Azazel's push-off from the ground caused a sonic-boom as his body was shot forward like a speeding bullet. Azazel tilted his body to the right, narrowly dodging the Behemoth's hand, and brought out Mjolnir. He activated its transform ability [Mjolnir-Transform: Fire State: Axe] After bringing out the Battle Axe wreathed in flames Azazel activated his skill [Draconic Armageddon], and activated the weapon's skill right after [Mjolnir Skill-boost]. Riding on the momentum of his pounce Azazel swung Mjolnir with a vertical slash, unleashing [Draconic Armageddon] on the Behemoth Dragon.

Azazel's strike went through the Behemoth's skull as easily as it would have gone through empty air, and [Draconic Armageddon], which was activated by the swing tore the rest of the dragon's body in half. His left and right sides, blown away by the resulting shockwave, flew to their respective sides at alarming speeds, almost crushing the onlookers who were too stunned to move.

Azazel smiled as he looked upon the carnage he had caused with a single strike. [Draconic Armageddon] alone would not have been enough to achieve such an outstanding result, the slaughter he had just performed was the direct cause of a skill that the world item [Mjolnir] granted to its users. This skill was [Mjolnir Skill-boost], this skill would greatly boost the effectiveness of Azazel's attacks. When used to augment an attack skill, the resulting firepower was strong enough to wipe out a party of level 100 players at the bare minimum. This was an unfair ability, but such was the power of a world class item.

Azazel fixed the stunned dragons with a cold stare, lingering longer on Zynaicri whose shock was the most amusing to Azazel.

"Does anyone else want to try?"

The surrounding dragons immediately prostrated themselves before him, simultaneously shouting words of reverence.

"All hail the great Dragon God Azazel-sama"

Azazel laughed inwardly, it had been a long time since he'd been bathed in such a warm feeling of glory. Azazel gazed around at the bowing dragons, then at the Behemoth's corpse. Azazel though that it was quite a waste, that dragon was just about the only useful creature in this place. As he was lamenting its loss an idea struck him. Putting on a regal voice, he spoke to the bowing dragons

"You have witnessed my power to bring death… now you will witness my power to bring life"

With that Azazel took out a large dragon themed pendant from his inventory and equipped it. He then chanted its magic A flash of light suddenly shone from the pendant, after blinking thrice it shot out a ray of light towards one half of Behemoth's split body. While another ray of light shot out to the ground creating a magic circle large enough to encompass the entire cavern. After several seconds passed a burst of light was born from the magic circle, bathing everything in a bright light. Azazel had just used the divine-class item [Life King's Pendant] which unleashed the super-tier magic known as Holy Rebirth. This item cast a magic circle around a wide-area and revived any recently dead beings within the magic circle.

The dragons watched in awe as Behemoth's body was surrounded by the encompassing light, and pieced back together. After the light had died down, a blood-curling roar came from the mouth of the previously dead Behemoth. A natural reaction, for one who had just experienced death and come back to tell the tale. After taking in his surroundings and then affixing his gaze on Azazel, Behemoth understood what had transpired. He prostrated himself before Azazel and spoke his words of submission as well as his oath of fealty.

"I pledge my life to you, Oh Great Dragon God. Azazel-sama!"

"I accept your pledge, raise your head and tell me your name"

"I was once known as Thabim Bululdr"

"All right then Thabim… tell me, what resides outside this chasm. Outside this… Great Rift, was it?"

"I will do as you command. Outside this Great Rift exists a community of Frost Dragons, Dwarves, and a sub-species of Beastmen known as Quagao"

"A community of?... they co-exist?"

"It is as you say"

Azazel was a bit shocked by that news, he didn't understand how dragons, who were naturally a pride species, could co-exist with such weak existences like dwarves, and whatever those Quagao were.

"How is this possible? Are you sure it is co-existence and not a case of subservience to the Frost Dragons"

"I am certain, Azazel-sama. This situation came to be due to the existence of a frighteningly powerful undead magic caster. The Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown, presides over these creatures"

Azazel's heart skipped a beat

"Right now, did you just say… Ainz Ooal Gown?"

"Yes"

Azazel's body shook with excitement, that undead magic caster was probably Momonga, the guild master of [Ainz Ooal Gown], Azazel did not know why he had taken the name of his guild nor how long he's been here, but there was one thing he did know. This was destiny, the Gods have brought him here for a second chance at defeating [Ainz Ooal Gown], he was meant to settle things here guild master to guild master. With a grin of delight and a visible gleam in his eye, Azazel made a declaration to his new "guildmates"

"My fellow dragons… we are going to war!

 **Author's Note: First chapter done. Thank you for reading through all that and please share your opinions with me by making a review.**

 **Side note: 150 meters is half the Eiffel tower's height.**


	2. War of Information

**Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord**

The sun had just risen when Enri Emmot woke up, this was nothing out of the ordinary as all villagers woke up at the crack of dawn to get as much work done in the fields before night. But after the night she just had, Enri was impressed that she still managed to wake up so early. She unconsciously rubbed her sore hips. Getting off her bed, Enri limped her way to the ornate mirror adjacent to her bed. It was an unbelievably out of place piece of furniture for her humble home, but it was a gift from her village's hero who also happened to be the nation's king. She could not possibly refuse a gift that the great Ainz Ooal Gown himself had insisted upon giving.

Enri yawned, stretching her body causing her bare breasts to jiggle. Her face took on a light shade of red as she remembered the events of the night before. She looked at her husband, Nfirea Bareare, through the mirror. He was naked, and lying on the bed in a state of perfect slumber. Enri wondered if last night had taken its toll on him.

" _Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he was tired. I mean he was just so...wild, who knew Nfirea had that side to him"_

Enri giggled to herself as she silently thanked Lupusregina Beta for her advice.

Enri fixed her disheveled hair in the mirror. After checking her appearance multiple times, she went over to a wooden chest beside her bed. This chest contained all two of her full sets of clothes. Enri recalled Lupusregina's laughter upon seeing her "poor excuse of a wardrobe ~su".

Enri picked up pieces of discarded clothing around the bed. These were the clothes Lupusregina gave her. She practically shoved them into Enri's hands. With a wide grin on her face, she had said.

"Wait for your man dressed like that, and you'll definitely end up having some night time fun ~su"

The clothes were similar to the garments that many women in the village wore to hold their breasts in place, and a short version of the Braies that men and women wore. Though it was more akin to a loincloth than Braies.

These clothes looked like something a queen would wear. The clothing was made of a thin, soft cloth. Unlike the rough clothing she usually wears these ones were soft and comfortable. If it wasn't so revealing Enri would have worn it all day.

The cloth was slightly see through, which was weird to Enri because as far as she knew clothing was supposed to hide your skin not show it, but Lupusregina had said it was supposed to be like that. So, Enri paid it no mind.

But the thing about the clothes that most resembled queen wear was the color. Dyed clothes were hard to come by and expensive to make, so most of the villager's clothes had different shades of brown or red which were the natural colors of their clothes. A few people in the village had blue clothing, like Nemu. But those were rare, and even then, blue was one of the less expensive colors.

These clothes Lupusregina had given her were black with purple sprayed around the edges. Purple was a royal color, so Enri could only assume that these had once belonged to a queen. Enri did not think that it would be appropriate for a simple village girl to wear a queen's clothing.

However, when Enri had tried to give it back to Lupusregina. She refused saying "Every woman needs at least one set of lingerie".

Enri was not sure what "lingerie" was, but she was certain it was a common article of clothing for royalty. The fact that she, a common village girl, had been permitted to wear one was only possible through the benevolence of the nation's leader, Ainz Ooal Gown.

After thanking Lupusregina and Ainz in her heart once more. Enri carefully packed the lingerie into the wooden chest. And took out her usual clothes.

After getting dressed, Enri left the comforts of her house to begin her usual routine. As the village chief, she made it a point to check with the guards about the security situation at the start of every day. One could say that it was paranoid of her to do so, but most people haven't been through what Enri had been through.

When you lose your parents and more than half of the village to soldiers of an enemy country, and then lose even more of your friends to your own country a few months later. You learn that one can never be too careful.

Enri stepped out of her house, after taking no more than 3 steps her personal bodyguards emerged. Two goblins clad in black appeared from the shadows of her house and began walking behind Enri, they weren't too close, but they weren't too far either. These goblins where the Redcap Goblins, among the ranks of the Goblin Army they were the strongest, and thus the Goblin strategist had assigned them as her personal bodyguards.

The one to Enri's left spoke

"General-kakka, there appears to be a situation at the main gate."

The one to Enri's right followed up.

"Apparently, a man showed up, and tried to enter."

Enri arched an eyebrow, ever since the Sorcerer King had claimed E-Rantel and the surrounding lands as his territory there have been no visitors. She wondered what kind of person she'd find.

"Tell them to keep him there"

"Understood"

With that the goblin melted back into the shadows and disappeared. Enri felt secretly relieved as she watched the Goblin sink into the shadows. She couldn't get used to the Redcaps no matter how long she's been around them. Their faces were just too scary.

Upon arriving at the front gates, Enri saw the visitor. The man had raven colored hair coupled with a pale white complexion. He was a little taller than her which accentuated his thin frame. He looked to be half way through his 20's. His eyes were a dazzling sky blue which was quite a remarkable feature on an otherwise unremarkable man.

After inspecting the man closely, Enri noticed something else remarkable about him.

 _"What's he doing?"_

The man's hands were shaking, and his lower lip hung a little loose. His feet were slowly inching backwards as if he was afraid of what was in front of him.

However, the shaking of his hands was unnatural and obviously faked, his hanging lower lip was too tense to be a sign of awe it looked more like he was conscious of keeping it hanging, and his inching backwards was far too rhythmic to be caused by actual fear.

" _Was he… pretending to be scared?"_

Enri looked at the Goblin guards with a questioning look. They replied with a simple shrug as if to say, "We don't know either."

Enri stepped forward bringing herself into the man's view.

"Hello, I am Enri Emmot, the chief of this village. Sorry about the trouble but we make it a point to check every person that visits our village. May I ask the reason for your visit?"

"Huh? Village?"

For a moment Enri saw the man's true feelings emerge in the form of calm intrigue, but he soon covered it with his poorly made facade

"T-This isn't a goblin encampment, but a h-human village?"

Enri frowned, once again the man's "fear" was too forced his stuttering sounded practiced and not in an effective way. She did not know what purpose this man had for this act, but she had little enough trust in unknown humans without having to deal with bad acting.

"Could I please trouble you to drop the act?"

Enri's wording was polite, but her tone implied that if he didn't answer her right he would be denied entrance.

The man's face twitched, and after a moment's pause his facade crumbled. Enri caught flashes of annoyance on his face before it settled into a poker face.

"Busted instantly, huh"

His voice was a lot lower pitched than earlier, taking on an almost inhuman tone.

Enri simply smiled in response, to hide her shock at the drastic voice change. He may have been bad at replicating fear, but his voice changing capabilities were the real deal. The goblin guard began questioning the strange man

"Why do you want to enter Carne Village? And… what was up with that just now? What were you trying to do?"

The man stared coldly at the goblin guard, who returned his gaze in kind. To Enri it looked as if sparks were flying in between their stares. After what seemed like forever the man spoke.

"I will be blunt then. I am a traveler from a country far south of here, I have traveled to this region, and since I am unaware of what is even in this region. I decided to go to the first village I find, and ask for information."

The man moved his gaze from the goblins to Enri, causing the Redcaps to move a little closer to Enri.

"So, tell me, are goblins and humans co-existing an everyday occurrence in this part of the world?"

"What was the point of that act just now? What were you trying to do?"

Enri answered his question with an unrelated question, normally this would have been frowned upon, but as this was out of concern for her village's safety. She didn't mind if she was a little unethical. The village had gone through two life threatening situations already, she wasn't about to let a third one happen on her watch.

Granted, this man was alone and the last two situations involved armies. However, after meeting Ainz Ooal Gown, Enri also learned that sometimes one man was more powerful than the largest armies.

"Tell me... Enri-san, was it? When you go to a village expecting humans, but instead you're met with goblins. Would you think of them as village guards, or would you think that this was a goblin encampment?"

Enri had to admit he had a point there, for a man with no information on the surrounding lands and the Sorcerer Kingdom. This would definitely be unusual.

She tilted her chin up at him indicating that he should continue.

"So, if you assume that it is a goblin encampment, you would also assume that you'd have to fight for your life. Because these are monsters that generally attack humans on sight. Now I ask you this, Enri Emmot-san. Who would monsters with dull minds, like goblins, be likely to underestimate, a scared man, or a perfectly calm one?"

Enri Emmot sighed, his explanation sort of made sense and it was a more likely story than the one Enri had in mind. So, it was just her paranoia that caused her to be rude to this traveler.

"I am very sorry for my rude display earlier. Please forgive me"

Enri bowed her head in apology, much to the dismay of the goblins. The man gave a cold nod in response, garnering some looks of loathing from the surrounding goblins.

Enri raised her head. Contrary to the goblins, she did not think that his stiff response was unwarranted. As a village chief her reception was poor, so it was her responsibility to wholeheartedly apologize.

"Now then, may I ask for your name?"

The man paused, as if in deep thought. After that brief pause, he spoke

"Azazel... My name is Azazel."

* * *

Azazel looked up at Thabim from the mountain of treasure that was serving as his throne, even on top of the treasure hoard Thabim was still a good amount taller than Azazel.

Thabim noticed the look and bowed his head.

"What is it? Azazel-sama"

Azazel sighed

"Hey Thabim, Am I... bad at acting?"

"Azazel-sama?"

Thabim looked at Azazel questioningly

Azazel blushed, or at least he felt like he was blushing. As a dragon Azazel was incapable of blushing. But he could still get embarrassed.

"Nevermind..."

"..."

Thabim's eyes lingered on Azazel for a while longer before he returned to his duties as a sentry.

For the nth time, Azazel sighed. While he was excited at the prospect of facing [Ainz Ooal Gown] again. The task was easier said than done.

At first, Azazel thought that Momonga was here alone just like himself. But upon further questioning. He had found out that Momonga had come to the mountains with three others. A short, but powerful creature clad in all red armor with a large purple blue lance as a weapon, a young male dark elf, and a lizardman with an unnaturally large arm.

If the dragon's descriptions were to be trusted. The first two were Aura and Shalltear, [Ainz Ooal Gown]'s NPC's. Perhaps the Lizard was an undiscovered NPC of floor Eight, but as the floor guardians were the only strong NPC's in Nazarick and the Floor Guardian for that floor was an NPC known as victim, he had to assume that it was just an automatic spawn. Or perhaps a creature from this world.

The Lizardman aside, Momonga had come to this world with his guild's NPC's.

Even with the full force of [Zehid Regime] Azazel had not been able to defeat all of [Ainz Ooal Gown]'s NPC's and now he had to do it with a bunch of useless cannon fodder.

That being said, there was still an advantage to fighting [Ainz Ooal Gown] in this world compared to fighting them in YGGDRASIL.

While in YGGDRASIL, you had to go through most if not all the NPC's in one go. That was not the case in this world. Here he could employ baiting tactics to bring some of the dangerous NPC's out, and perhaps mind-control them with his shooting star ring.

Back in the game this would have been impractical as wish upon a star granted you random wishes. However, that was not the case in this world. After experimenting with a variety of expendable magic items, some of which were supposedly random-choice magic items, he had found out that magic items in this world were stronger, and random choice items did not exist. Assuming this held true for the ring, Azazel would have three wishes. With three wishes he could collect three guardians. That would make the fight a 4 vs 6 battle counting himself and Momonga.

Essentially, divide-and-conquer was Azazel's best shot at defeating [Ainz Ooal Gown]. Or rather his only chance at defeating [Ainz Ooal Gown].

The problem was none of the dragons in this cavern knew anything about the world outside. Their knowledge was strictly limited to the Azerlisia Mountains and the names of the surrounding countries. To pull off a divide-and-conquer plan, one needed a lot of information, about his opponent, his opponent's surroundings, and even his opponent's opponents.

To remedy his lack of information, Azazel had gone outside in his human form masquerading as a traveler in an attempt to gain information. He had adapted a meek and easily frightened personality to lessen suspicion. But the plan had backfired, his act was discovered instantly. Thus, he had likely been branded as a suspicious figure, if word of him reached Ainz. His whole plan might collapse around his ears.

Granted, Azazel was in his human form so being found out had a chance of serving as a diversion from himself.

Momonga shouldn't be able to recognize him. This was because even in YGGDRASIL he didn't use his human form much.

Once he passed level 90 his human form had lost all its uses. A [Dragonoid]'s human form had unparalleled speed in YGGDRASIL, but as compensation the form's defensive and offensive stats would regress to stats of a base human 5 levels below the player's current level. In Azazel's case, he lost his absolute resistance to physical attacks. Up until level 85 when 5 levels wouldn't make much of a difference, it was good for either short blitz attacks or running away. This depended on the opponent's defensive stats. But by the time one passed level 90, 5 levels made quite a lot of difference. Skills to counter insane speeds also arose, making escape difficult. In short a [Dragonoid]'s human form was made completely useless.

"Azazel-sama"

Thabim's voice tore Azazel from his thoughts.

"Yes, Thabim. What is it?"

"After sifting through the other treasure hoards, we managed to acquire two more teleportation scrolls"

Azazel smiled. Teleportation scrolls were a very useful item in YGGDRASIL. The more of them he had, the better.

"I see, well then. Now that that's done why don't we get going"

"Understood"

Azazel leapt from the top of his treasure onto Thabim's bowing head.

After he had subdued the dragons 2 weeks ago, he spent a week remodeling the power structure and jobs of the dragons in this cavern. He had set aside dragons to search for magical items of worth in the treasure, dragons to patrol the Great Rift constantly, and lastly dragons to spy on the frost dragons above them. The dwarves and Quagao were not a threat, but if he wasn't careful the frost dragons might thin his army's numbers.

He had then spent 3 days looking for a human settlement on foot. After finding one, or at least the closest thing to one (he couldn't exactly call the multi-racial Carne Village a human settlement), he stayed there, for as many days as he spent looking for it, gathering information.

From what he learned, The Sorcerer King had taken over a fortress city that formerly belonged to the Re-Estize kingdom as well as the surrounding lands, he had also killed many of the nation's nobles. Azazel estimated that the Re-Estize Kingdom would fall to the Sorcerer King within the span of 3 months. So that ruled them out as possible allies.

The Baharuth Empire nearby had become a vassal state to the Sorcerer Kingdom, ruling them out as well.

Azazel's last and only option was the Slane Theocracy. From what he was told, the Slane Theocracy was the strongest of the three surrounding countries, excluding the Sorcerer Kingdom. Azazel planned to get them as allies. Right now, he didn't have enough discreet allies. The dragons were too conspicuous to use as spy's outside of the Azerlisia Mountains. Upon inquiring more he learned that the Slane Theocracy was full of human supremacists. Meaning they must be against Momonga. Momonga has been in this world far longer than Azazel. So, Azazel assumed that Momonga knew of the Slane Theocracy being against him. It was likely that he had spies in the country. The Slane Theocracy just so happened to be locked in a war with the Elves. If he played his cards right, revealed just enough information to both the Slane Theocracy and Momonga's spies. He could possibly lure a high-level NPC into elven territory. Thus, after returning from Carne Village Azazel had informed Thabim that they were going to visit the Slane Theocracy.

Still on top of Thabim's bowed head, Azazel opened a black hole known as his inventory. After taking out a magic item known as [Mirror of Remote Viewing]. He fumbled with the mirror, slowly using the village girl's directions to bring the mirror to the Slane Theocracy capital. As he manipulated the mirror, Azazel recalled the headache he had after fumbling with the mirror for what must have been hours. In the end, it took him 4 days to fully get the hang of it. He remembered almost attacking the dragons that had disturbed him while he was struggling with it. He managed to hold back by reminding himself that one attack from him would kill these creatures. And not only would he deprive himself of his spy's, but also his humanity which was slowly slipping away from his grasp.

" _Ahh! There! That must be it."_ Azazel thought to himself in delight at being able to manipulate the mirror to where he wanted it to be. "Alright Thabim, you ready?"

"Yes, Azazel-sama"

Azazel dropped a scroll of teleportation onto Thabim's hands and kept one for himself

"Alright then, let's go"

With that they activated the scrolls.

The large dark caverns turned into a wide sky, and the mountains of gold turned into a collection of buildings known as the Slane Theocracy.

Azazel ordered Thabim, who was now floating above the city, to land right outside the city's main gate. As Thabim descended, Azazel took out an item known as the [Microphone]. This item was commonly used to make announcements by broadcasting your voice to every nearby player's channel, unless they had their settings set specifically so they don't hear broadcasts.

If Azazel's hunch was correct, then it would work similarly to telepathy in this world. Azazel took a deep breath before speaking into the [Microphone]

"Citizens of the Slane Theocracy! My name is Azazel…I demand an audience with the highest representatives of this country. If my demand is not met within 5 hours… well, I can't guarantee that my pet over here won't go on a rampage."

After being met with silence, Azazel feared that maybe the item didn't work in this world after all. But after noticing that every citizen within view had their eyes on him and Thabim. His doubts were laid to rest.

"Now what, Azazel-sama?"

Azazel laughed

"Now Thabim… we wait."

* * *

Ainz was shocked, a few weeks ago Demiurge had made the suggestion of setting up a spy network in the Slane Theocracy. Thinking that keeping an eye on the strongest nearby country wasn't a bad thing, Ainz had approved of it. Since it was Demiurge's idea, Ainz had no doubt that it would bring excellent results. Even so, he was not expecting it to bear fruit a mere two weeks since it's inception.

"You're certain? A human appeared out of thin air at the Slane Theocracy's capital along with a large dragon… and he used an item from YGGDRASIL."

Ainz confirmed the words of the bowing arch devil in front of him.

"It is as you say, Ainz-sama. This was reported to me by our spy network in the Slane Theocracy."

"How long ago was this?"

"It was reported to me three hours ago"

Ainz cupped a skeletal hand to his chin and with a soft "Umu" he gave an order to Albedo who was standing beside him.

"Albedo, gather all the Floor Guardians aside from the 4th and 8th floor guardians here… Bring Narberal Gamma, Lupusregina Beta, and Sebas as well."

The guardian overseer, 10th floor guardian, and succubus known as Albedo bowed her head

"I will do so at once, Ainz-sama"

Ainz turned to Demiurge, who was still genuflecting.

"That is enough Demiurge, you may stand. More importantly, what are the chances that this man is the same one who brainwashed Shalltear?"

Demiurge stood

"I believe that the probability is not insignificant. While at present, we do not have enough knowledge to confirm or deny. I think that the simple fact that he is a player from that world and the only creature we've come across that could potentially threaten Nazarick makes that probability more likely."

Ainz nodded. Demiurge had confirmed what he was thinking, thus giving him more confidence in his hypothesis.

While nothing was for certain yet, Ainz's anger flared up as he recalled how he was forced to kill Shalltear, a precious creation of his dear friends. At the same time, he was also excited at the thought of finally being able to pay back the bastard who had made him do it.

Of course, these emotions only lasted a few seconds before Ainz's emotion passive kicked in.

"Excellent Demiurge, thank you for confirming my thoughts"

"Hardly, I suspect Ainz-sama already knew the answer to his question beforehand. But was simply testing how far I had thought out the possibilities."

"Y-Yes… T-That's right. Very good Demiurge, you read my intentions perfectly"

"While I believe that this is only a portion of the true intentions that Ainz-sama held in asking me that question, I shall gladly accept the praise. It warms my heart to think that I've managed to grasp even an inkling of Ainz-sama's mind."

Ainz inwardly groaned.

" _When am I going to get a break from these guardians and their unnaturally high impressions of me"_

A black and purple void appeared behind Demiurge, interrupting Ainz's thoughts.

The first to step out, was a pair of dark elves. While one walked in leisurely with hands behind her head in a relaxed manner. The other one walked in slowly fidgeting with the hems of his dress. The Dark Elves Aura and Mare, guardians of the 6th floor. Behind them was a large blue-insect, with four arms. Its steps shook the room a bit as the Mayor's office was not built to house giant insects. Cocytus, the 5th floor guardian. Behind him followed a man dressed in impeccable clothes, his back was ramrod straight, and his walk exuded gracefulness. Sebas, head butler of Nazarick as well as the leader of the Pleiades. Sebas walked with a few members of the Pleiades, Narberal Gamma, and Lupusregina Beta, in tow. Last to walk out was Albedo, and a deathly pale girl with silver hair tied together in a ponytail. While her stature was that of a young girl, her breasts were not. This was Shalltear, guardian of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors.

All Eleven of them stood in a row and bowed before Ainz, Demiurge joined them shortly after.

"We have all arrived, Ainz-sama"

Albedo spoke for the guardians as the guardian overseer

"We as well are all here"

Sebas spoke on behalf of Narberal and Lupusregina as the head butler.

Ainz stood from his desk.

"Umu, I called you all here so that I could make an announcement…"

Ainz scanned the faces of every NPC in front of him before continuing.

"Demiurge has confirmed the existence of a YGGDRASIL player. The possibility is high that this player is the same one that brainwashed Shalltear"

Looks of surprise showed up on everyone's faces, aside from Albedo and Demiurge, as they all turned to look at Shalltear.

Shalltear was quivering, the floorboards beneath her cracked from how hard she was pushing on them. Her face was twisted in an expression of pure rage, and a dark, black aura emanated from her body. She was the incarnation of bloodlust.

"Shalltear, calm yourself. We are in the presence of the leader of the supreme beings, Ainz-sama"

Albedo brought Shalltear back to reality. Shalltear gasped and her aura dissipated. She bowed her head even lower, practically smashing it onto the floorboards.

"Please forgive my insolent behavior, Ainz-sama"

Ainz nodded

"It is fine Shalltear, I myself was almost overcome with rage upon hearing Demiurge's report"

Shalltear blushed at Ainz's words while Albedo shot her a quick look of loathing and jealousy. With a smug look on her face, Shalltear grinned at Albedo.

"Now, as a safety measure. I want all of the members of Nazarick, aside from the naturally spawning creatures, to bring a world class item with them whenever they are going out. I will have Pandora's Actor distribute items to those who don't already have some of their own."

"Understood!"

The NPC's responded as one. Their voices perfectly synchronized.

"Umu, now then. Demiurge."

"What is your order, Ainz-sama. Your vassal will complete it no matter the cost."

"I want this player observed, gather as much information as you can without revealing yourself"

Demiurge smiled.

"It is already being done, Ainz-sama"

"O-Oh, well then. Excellent job"

"Thank you, Ainz sama"

Ainz should have been used to it by now, but he really was amazed every time he witnessed Demiurge's initiative. If Demiurge was a company employee he would have risen through the ranks with his beastly intelligence, and can-do attitude.

Regaining his composure, Ainz continued.

"Now then. Aside from Narberal Gamma, and Lupusregina Beta, you are all dismissed"

With that, everyone left the room the same way they had entered. Through Shalltear's [Gate] spell.

Ainz noticed that both Narberal and Lupusregina had tensed up. They remained kneeling, but their shoulders were quivering. And their knuckles were pale white from being squeezed too tightly.

A puzzled Ainz asked them what was wrong.

"Narberal. Lupusregina."

Ainz noted the way their shoulders froze when their names were called. Scratching the top of his head he went on.

"What's the matter, why are you two so scared? What happened?"

Narberal and Lupusregina both looked up in shock then at each other.

"W-Wasn't the reason we were asked to remain because we made a m-mistake?... ~su"

A stuttering Lupusregina had almost forgotten her speech quirk in her fear.

Ainz inwardly facepalmed. He should have known the maids would be worried about being asked to remain after everyone else was dismissed. Ainz made a mental note of this moment to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

"No, that was not the case. Be at ease, Lupusregina, Narberal."

Upon hearing Ainz's words. Lupusregina and Narberal relaxed a bit, but there was still a little tension left in the air.

"Please forgive your servant's idiocy, but if not to punish us for a mistake, then why were we asked to remain? Please enlighten us, Ainz-sama"

Ainz looked at Narberal, who had just spoken, before answering.

"That's simple. Since you two were the only ones outside of Nazarick in the last week, aside from Demiurge. I wanted to ask you if there was anything unusual that you noticed last week"

Looks of understanding dawned upon the battle maids' faces and the tension disappeared like it was never there.

"There was nothing unnatural, I simply walked around town for a bit with Pandora's Actor who was in his 'Momon' form."

"I see"

Ainz turned his gaze to Lupusregina

"There was nothing unusual that I noticed... but Enri-chan told me about something that was unusual a few days ago ~su"

Ainz motioned for her to go on with a flick of his wrist

"She said that a strange dark-haired and pale man had shown up looking for information on the surrounding lands. She also said that he was particularly interested in Ainz-sama ~su"

Ainz's jaw slightly dropped at the bombshell Lupusregina had just dropped on him. That description matched the man Demiurge spoke of, and whats more a total stranger suddenly showing up and asking about the surrounding countries. The situation was eerily similar to his own interaction with Carne Village. The timeline and actions matched. He could only assume that the person Enri told Lupusregina of was the same one Demiurge had reported.

He almost shouted at her for not informing him earlier when the guardians were still here, but his emotion passive kicked in. Now that he was calm Ainz realized that it was his mistake and not Lupusregina's that the guardians had not gotten to hear this information.

He should have asked for the reports while the guardians were still here. Still he did not expect Lupusregina to have that vital information. He had been giving orders under the assumption that this player was the one who brainwashed Shalltear, but in light of this new evidence. It seemed he was mistaken.

If this player truly was the one who had brainwashed Shalltear, there would have been no need to expose himself to find information. The rumors and gossip would have sufficed.

Thus, Ainz concluded that this player was not the one who brainwashed Shalltear. Since he was looking for information, Ainz could only assume that he was a player who had only recently been transported into this world. Much like how he had shown up after the Eight Greed Kings, and the Six Gods of the Slane Theocracy. This newcomer had now shown up after him.

Since he was curious upon hearing the name "Ainz", Ainz could come up with two possible conclusions. The first was that this player knew of Ainz Ooal Gown, and the second was this player was aware of the disparity in strength between the people of this world and YGGDRASIL entities, and had begun to suspect that Ainz was a fellow player.

Whichever one ended up being true. Ainz still had to answer one question. Was this player an enemy or an ally.

" _Arghhh, I can't tell with the minimal information I have! I wish Demiurge was still here"_

Ainz mentally screamed as he was unable to figure it out, and it bugged him to no end to know that there was a player whose position was unclear. If he turned out to be an enemy, and Ainz had not been able to prepare Nazarick for combatting him. Chances were high that there would be many casualties.

Ainz wished he could just call everyone back and pass on the information, but he couldn't do that for fear of ruining his image as the "perfect being worthy of ruling over Nazarick." He couldn't send a [Message] either for the same reasons. Ainz sighed, though he was just going through the motions. Being a skeleton, Ainz had no lungs and thus could not physically sigh.

" _Still, if he was an ally, I wonder how the Guardians will react to his presence. More importantly, I wonder if I could be my normal self around him. Trying to act wise is too stressful… I hope he's an ally"_

Ainz spent the next hour fantasizing about releasing all his pent-up stress in the presence of a person who could understand him and didn't think he was some infallible being.

* * *

Azazel smiled as he was led through the Theocracy. He was walking in between two apparently important men in the Slane Theocracy. Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the Cardinal of Earth, on the left. And his bodyguard, Adequin Tybalt, on the right.

The guard intrigued Azazel, and was the reason for his smile. Aside from Thabim, everybody Azazel met was below level 35. So, he had assumed that humans were mostly weak in this world. He certainly didn't entertain the possibility that there would be a human close to Thabim's level. But this bodyguard was different, he was somewhere around level 70. While the 15-level difference would mean a defeat against Thabim in YGGDRASIL. This man might have a chance to defeat that giant dragon in this world, if he played his cards right. After all fights in a game, and fights in real life were two very different things.

But what intrigued him more was the spear the man was holding, and the armor. Those were YGGDRASIL items. And what's more they looked like Legendary Class items. These items were only a step down from Divine Class, which was exceedingly rare. So, most players wore Legendary Class items. Even level 100 players would rarely have Divine Class items. This meant that this man had the necessary equipment to damage him. Azazel's smile disappeared as another thought wormed its way into his head.

" _If the Slane Theocracy has fighters of this caliber, is it safe to assume the other countries do as well? Damn it, I should have learned more about the fighters of both the Kingdom and the Empire. I was careless, if the other countries have warriors like this man…Thabim might not be as strong an asset as I had thought"_

They stopped in front of a large gate. There were guards on either side, and even more patrolling on the inside. The large gate was quite extravagant for a simple gate, as was everything else behind it. The garden was well kept and arranged beautifully, but the ornate pots were a little overboard. It seems this Pontifex Maximus that he was being taken to liked to show off his riches.

The gate was opened for them, and the Cardinal led Azazel inside. As they were walking throughout the grounds, Azazel couldn't help but be mesmerized, by the grandness of everything.

Back in YGGDRASIL, his guild didn't have a very good-looking guild base. They had prioritized effectiveness and practicality, over aesthetics. While he's heard of guilds that have designs so extravagant your eyes would pop out upon seeing it, he himself had never actually seen one. Most of those good-looking bases were just that, good-looking, so their defense was usually weak. And so [Zehid Regime] had never attacked such a place.

In addition to that, Azazel was only familiar with modern day extravagance. As such, this medieval fanciness was new to him.

Azazel gawked at all the furniture as they passed the halls, garnering him a few looks of suspicion. Perhaps they thought he might steal something. The Cardinal stopped walking, a few feet away from a twist in the hall. He leaned over to his guard and whispered something.

While for most people this would have sufficed to keep anyone else from hearing, Azazel was a dragon. He could hear what they were saying as clearly as he would have if they spoke loudly.

"Adequin, please make sure Zesshi isn't waiting outside the meeting door. We don't want her suddenly challenging our dangerous guest here to a fight."

With a nod, the guard went on ahead. The cardinal turned to Azazel. Bowing his head, he apologized.

"My greatest apologies for the wait and secrecy, but there are simply some things in there that we can't show an outsider. Please do understand"

Azazel nodded, pretending to be ignorant of the true reasons behind the wait.

The guard's voice came out from the hall.

"Cardinal, it's ready now. You should go in"

Azazel frowned, his voice was strained as though he was struggling to push or hold something back. With the same poker face, he's had since Azazel met him. The Cardinal led Azazel through. Upon turning the corner, Azazel saw two rooms at the end of the hall. The guard was standing on the right side. It wasn't entirely obvious, but upon close inspection. One could see the door opening and closing slightly, as if something behind it was pushing to get out. The Cardinal, and the guard both looked at Azazel to gauge his reaction.

Azazel paid it no heed, as he walked ahead of the Cardinal and into the room. He heard the Cardinal and guard sigh in relief, behind him.

Azazel stepped into the room. Upon stepping inside, his eyes darted around the small room looking at every corner, and every shadow.

" _1, 3, 7… no there's 10 of them"_

Azazel counted 10 high level shadow demons. He could only guess that this was the handiwork of Momonga. Since he looked like a human, and appeared to be a tamer class of some sort due to his dragon. Momonga would have probably assumed that he didn't have sufficient levels in the ranger class to detect these level 90 Shadow demons. Azazel couldn't help but smile. Often times a war was decided before it even began in the war that takes place before it. That was the war of information and so far, he was winning. Azazel ignored the spies and looked at the rest of the room's inhabitants.

Excluding himself, the Cardinal, and the spies, there were 6 people here. Every single one of them was old. An old man with round glasses, an old man riddled with wrinkles, an old woman, two other old men, and one skinny old man. It made Raymond's membership of this group look like a joke. While he wasn't exactly young. Raymond wasn't balding, he didn't have white hair, and he did not have a lot of wrinkles.

" _If my experience with old people serves me well, they will be pretty set in their ways. Then again, perhaps the threat of a dragon would change that"_

Azazel took the seat that was laid out for him before this table. Raymond took his seat at that table, and the guard stayed out.

One of the old men at the table stood up and spoke to the room

"We shall now convene this meeting. Since there is a guest among us, we shall introduce ourselves. I am the Pontifex Maximus. Normally, the highest figure in the Slane Theocracy but in this room, everyone is my equal."

The Pontifex sat back down and one by one the other members stood up and spoke their names and titles.

First up was the old woman

"Berenice Nagua Santini, Cardinal of Fire"

Next came the extraordinarily old man even among this council of elders.

"Ginedine Delan Guelfi, Cardinal of Water"

Following him was one of the unremarkable old men

"Dominic Ihre Partouche, Cardinal of Wind"

Next was the Cardinal that had escorted him here

"Raymond Zarg Lauransan, Cardinal of Earth"

Then there was the skinny old man

"Yvon Jasna Dracrowa, Cardinal of Light"

Lastly was the one with glasses

"Maximilian Oreio Lagier, Cardinal of Darkness"

With that they were all introduced and were now looking at Azazel expectantly.

Azazel braced himself mentally for what he was about to do. Azazel stood up from his chair, stepped forward two steps and prostrated himself before the council.

A few gasps were heard in the room. Nobody in this room had expected this man, who not so long ago had threatened the Slane Theocracy with a giant dragon, to suddenly bow before them.

"First and foremost, I am very sorry for my actions. I threatened your city, because I wished to gain an audience with you immediately and I did not know of another way to get into this room. The truth is I wish to make a proposal to your country, and I want friends rather than enemies."

A deafening silence pierced the air, and Azazel was glad that he wasn't capable of strong emotions. He would have gritted his teeth to no end if it weren't for the mysterious force that halted his emotions.

He didn't like having to bow before these weaklings, but they had something to offer him, something useful. And threatening them would not give him that. He had to give them the impression that he was sincere, that he was easy to manipulate.

A cough broke the silence and Raymond spoke.

"That's enough, please stand, Azazel-san. Let us hear your proposal"

Azazel stood up. He walked closer to the table, before clearing his throat

"Alright, now then. I have come here today to meet you fine gentlemen of the Slane Theocracy for one reason. And one reason only… Ainz. Ooal. Gown."

Upon hearing the familiar name, several eyes widened, while others leaned forward as if trying to hear better. Satisfied with the reaction, Azazel continued.

"I know him, I have fought with him in the past. And while his power may seem like something you can't beat. I know for a fact that he isn't unbeatable."

Many voices rose up in the room all at once.

"What are you saying?"

"You know of the Sorcerer King? Where did he come from?"

"What is he?"

A gravelly voice broke through the noise field silencing everyone.

"You fools, do not let your fear cloud over your judgement. Let the man finish before you talk, is that not the proper etiquette at this table?"

The man who had spoken was the Cardinal of Water.

Azazel's respect for this exceedingly old man shot up by several points. Giving him a nod of thanks, Azazel went on.

"My proposal is simple, enlist my help against Ainz Ooal Gown, grant me a temporary seat at this table for the coming war. As for what happens after that, I don't care."

Azazel paused for a minute, what he was about to say next was the most crucial part and would be the official beginning of his plan to destroy Momonga.

"Of course. I don't expect you to trust me just like that. As such I will promise you one thing should you choose to accept my offer. I will end your war with the Elves in two days."

Azazel rose two fingers for emphasis

A simultaneous "Ehhhhhh" filled the room. After their surprise had died down, Azazel went on.

"If I am not able to fulfill this promise, then your approval of my proposal is rescinded, and I as well as my dragon will leave the capital at once. But if I do fulfill this promise, then I will have a temporary seat at this table. Since I will have said seat, I expect to be made aware of everything this country has. It's trump cards, it's secrets, it's everything."

A silence set in the room as Azazel finished speaking.

The Pontifex Maximus stood up

"Azazel-san, we would like to have a private moment to discuss this matter at length"

Azazel nodded and left the room. Though he felt everyone's eyes trailing him as he left, he did not pay it any attention as he left the room.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, shouts erupted from the members of the room.

"He's crazy!"

"Finish the war we couldn't finish in a decade in two years? Who does he think he is?"

"Send him away!"

"He expects us to give him all our secrets? He might as well have asked for the Pontifex Maximus' head!"

Amongst these shouts of anger, a voice spoke out in support of the proposal.

"But no, did you not see that dragon, if he has such a giant one. It won't be a stretch to say he has more. If a small army of dragons descend upon the Elven Kingdom. I can see it collapsing well within the two days"

Raymond rose his hand to silence his fellow council members, he sighed internally. For old men, they sure did like to make a fuss. How do they expect us to reach a conclusion with all their noise? It wasn't always like this, but the appearance of Ainz Ooal Gown had changed these men for the worse.

Clearing his throat, Raymond brought the discussion back in order.

"While we all have our own opinions on the matter, let me layout to everyone what our choices are…"

Raymond looked around to make sure everyone was intent on listening.

"Either we deny this man, risk having him as an enemy on top of the elves and the Sorcerer King. Or we accept his proposal and see how things turn out."

The Pontifex Maximus countered

"It's too risky. It's all good and well if he fights the elves and dies or loses, at least then we wouldn't have to reveal anything, and he'd have at least given us a little help against the elves. But on the off chance that he wins. We'll be forced to lay ourselves bare before him."

To this the Cardinal of Water replied with

"No war is won without risks, and in the end. If he does turn out to be an enemy. Wouldn't you rather have him close to you rather than in some far away country where you can't observe him."

Raymond added to the old man's argument

"Whatever we decide to do, the fact will still remain that he is a threat. So, this is a choice of keeping the threat within our sight or letting it out."

A lull in the argument was born, a few heads were nodding. But everyone was still thinking through the possibilities.

The only woman in the room broke the lull.

"Revealing our country's secrets is fine during the war, but the man said, 'temporary seat'. What of after the war, could he not potentially become a worse enemy than both the Sorcerer King and the Elves"

The man with round glasses countered

"Ahh, but you're forgetting he said he doesn't care what happens after the war. We could bring him into our government somehow. That way he doesn't become a threat"

The Cardinal of Wind, who had been silent till now, spoke up

"You would have a man with no political background, a man we know nothing about hold a seat of importance in the Slane Theocracy? What you're suggesting is very dangerous"

The Pontifex Maximus spoke again

"Well it doesn't have to be a position in the government, we could integrate him into our military."

A flash of inspiration struck Raymond upon hearing the Pontifex's words

"We could… we could make him a member of the Scriptures"

A resounding "Ohhh" filled the room. Raymond's suggestion had gotten several nods of approval

The Cardinal of Water spoke again.

"With the problem of revealing our secrets solved, this proposal truly is quite appealing. If we accept it we lose nothing. No matter how the Elven war turns out we will still get something of value. It is a perfect proposal. So much so that I hesitate to trust it."

The skinny old man nodded

"So, in the end this comes down to whether we trust the man or not"

The Cardinal of Wind spoke again

"Well, he did prostrate himself before us."

Several responses of rebuttal came at the Cardinal

"Anyone can prostrate themselves, it means nothing"

"That was after he threatened us with a dragon"

"That's right his first interaction with us is a threat, how can we trust something like that"

Raymond cut them off

"Think of it this way, would any of you have accepted this meeting if a random man, who did not have a dragon, of whom we know nothing about suddenly came out and said 'I am familiar with Ainz Ooal Gown. I wish to make a proposal, let me meet with your highest authorities.'… Well? Would you have"

Raymond's response silenced everyone.

Sensing that there were no further points to be made the Pontifex stood up

"Well then, let's put it to a vote. All those in favor raise your hands"

Seven hands rose.

The Pontifex looked around.

"Well then, that's a unanimous decision."

The Pontifex concluded the meeting. And as he was about to ask someone to call Azazel back in.

A knock suddenly came on the door. Raymond walked over and opened it. Before him was an exasperated captain of the black scripture.

"What is it Adequin?"

"Cardinal, Ze-Zesshi has challenged Azazel-san to a battle. They're in the courtyard as we speak."

Several gasps were heard. Raymond turned to the other Cardinals, and then the Pontifex Maximus.

"Well, why don't we take this as a chance to see our new collaborator's fighting capabilities"

With that Raymond left the room and headed for the courtyard.

* * *

Azazel stared at the half-elf before him. Upon exiting the discussion room, he had been assaulted by her and challenged to a duel. He was ready to decline, but that was before he saw the girl's gear. And more importantly, the girl's strength.

He thought that the bodyguard from earlier was the strongest this country had to offer. He was severely mistaken, before him stood a half-elf that looked to be around 15 years of age.

Despite her looks however, Azazel could tell that she was around level 85. She was as strong as Thabim. Maybe stronger with her Legendary Class items, and her Divine Class scythe.

It was a dark black war scythe that was almost a few inches taller than the girl, yet she lifted it with relative ease. It had a skull figure sculpted onto the back of its blade.

The girl in question had heterochromia for her eyes and hair. One side of her hair was silver, while the other was black. Her eyes on the other hand were a black and blue. While she used her long hair to hide her ears, Azazel could see that she was a half-elf. As for the reason, why she hid her ears, he did not know.

Azazel heard footsteps on the floor overlooking the courtyard. He saw the Cardinals, who he had shared a room with not too long ago. Azazel smiled.

" _Time to put on a show"_

The girl called out to him.

"You ready? Here I come!"

With that, she shot at him with a speed comparable to Thabim. The same speed that he had easily trumped in his dragon form. Now that he was in his human form, this speed was like a snail trying to compare to a Ferrari.

The girl swung at him with a diagonal slash of her scythe. Azazel responded by lifting the sword he was lent and redirecting her slash causing her to land on his right. Next, she came at him with a head-on strike. But just a few feet before reaching Azazel, she leapt into the air over him.

The sight reminded Azazel of the gymnastics competitions he used to watch as a kid. The move was swift and graceful, her back arched beautifully as she brought her center of gravity downwards. She came falling on top of him with a downward slash aimed at Azazel's skull.

A third-rate opponent would have died at this point, but Azazel was 10 levels above the girl. Without lifting his head to look at the strike, he lifted the flat of his sword to cover his head. After feeling it's weight press down on the flat of his blade, he quickly pushed it to the side. The full force of the her strike was redirected towards the hard cement.

The force of striking a solid target with such force jarred the girl. She slowly lost her footing, and in a vain attempt to hit Azazel. She made a weak strike towards his feet. Without looking, Azazel lifted his foot and stepped on the flat of the scythe, pushing it onto the ground.

This disarmed the girl and at the same time, made her stumble and fall to the ground. For the first time in the whole fight, if it could even be called that, Azazel moved.

He turned around to face the girl who was lying down on the ground. He smiled and kicked her scythe back to her.

"It's not over yet, try again"

The girl looked at him, surprised at first. But then she smiled, taking the scythe, she jumped a few feet back.

Azazel heard her mutter

"I'm going to make you regret giving this back"

Azazel, kept his guard down. Though he sensed a difference in the air about the girl he could not show worry. He had to show the Cardinals and the Pontifex Maximus that he was overwhelmingly superior to their warriors.

In the next moment, Azazel regretted not putting up his guard. The girl shot out at him at a speed four times faster than her last attack. Though, it was still slow compared to Azazel. The massive difference alone between her first few attacks and this one was enough to shock Azazel. It was like she had redefined what her limits were.

In his shock, Azazel instinctively dodged to the left at full speed. In the time he had before she would reach the spot where he used to be. Several thoughts went through Azazel's head.

" _Did she hold back her power earlier"_

" _Did she use a racial skill? Or maybe a weapon skill? She is holding a divine class item after all"_

Azazel was torn from his thoughts when the girl's figure passed before him. Deciding to end the fight, he launched a well-placed kick to her waist. Sending the girl flying to the side. Her body hit the wall with a large thud, and her scythe flew from her hands.

Several gasps were heard from above the courtyard, the most prominent of which belonged to the bodyguard that had escorted Azazel earlier.

The girl slowly got up and limped towards Azazel, who stammered to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just surprised by your sudden speed increase"

Azazel tried to bow to the girl, but he was stopped by two hands on his shoulders. He looked up to find her looking into his eyes with a wide smile.

"Marry me."

Azazel blinked.

"I'm sorry I think I'm hearing things what did you say?"

"Marry me"

The girl repeated.

This time it was Azazel's turn to be surprised

"Huuuuuuuh?!"

 **Author's Note: Second chapter is finished. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time. And to those who haven't I hope you do. Also I have a question for you guys. Is once a week a good updating schedule? Or is my current "update when I have something" better? I mean I finished this chapter in three days, but I'm not confident I can keep that up with the rest. So I've been thinking to update once a week. IDK what people on fanfiction prefer though, As the only fanfic I've made aside from this has like 1 chapter.**

 **Side Note: Braies are a type of medieval underwear.**


	3. Vengeance Long Overdue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord**

Ainz Ooal Gown sighed.

 _"So, he's another enemy... Why can't I get an ally for once? Another player would have gone a long way in securing my rule in both Nazarick and E-Rantel. Not to mention I would have had a way to release stress."_

Ainz put his [Mirror of Remote Viewing] away. He had just finished using it, and a separate spell that allowed it to peer through rooms, to spy on the meeting between the player and the Slane Theocracy.

He also had Demiurge place some high-level Shadow Demons in the room, but that was just a decoy which he used to gauge the player's detection capabilities. It seemed he had none, or they weren't high enough to detect level 90 Shadow Demons.

Normally, Ainz wouldn't have risked using such high-level demons, but he was up against a player so he needed to send his best, lest he risk being discovered and have nothing to show for it. While level 90 shadow demons were weak compared to level 100 players, killing 10 of them without letting a single one escape was difficult even for the best of players.

Ainz was unsure of the player's detection skills. But based on the pet he kept, Ainz could safely assume that his build had several beast tamer levels. And from Ainz's experience, a lot of beast tamers tend to add ranger skills as well to their build. But it seems this one had not, perhaps he was a warrior-beast tamer. That was also a common choice among YGGDRASIL players.

Of course, Ainz could not rule out the possibility that the player was something else entirely. So, he had ordered Demiurge to remain extremely careful despite the players oblivious nature towards the shadow demons.

Through watching the meeting Ainz had learned two things,

One was that this player was named Azazel.

The other was that he seemed to have a personal vendetta against Ainz. Perhaps he was a member of the 1500 player raid back when Ainz Ooal Gown was still in YGGDRASIL.

This meant that his hopes of having a partner who understood him were dashed, and it also meant that on top of the one who mind-controlled Shalltear, he now had to look out for this player.

Although this player wasn't as big a problem, unlike Shalltear's mind-controller. This player liked to show himself. This meant that he could keep tabs on the player, he was a threat that could be easily contained. Ainz decided that this fool could be left in Demiurge's capable hands.

Ainz activated [Message]

"Ainz-sama, it is Demiurge. What are your orders?"

"Umu, Demiurge I trust you know of the events that transpired in the meeting."

"Indeed Ainz-sama. As soon as it ended my spies came to report to me."

"Good, then I will leave that foolish player to you. Destroy his relations with the Slane Theocracy. Once he's been isolated, destroy him as well. I'll give you permission to borrow Cocytus and Shalltear, the three of you alone should suffice for one beast tamer..."

Ainz paused before adding one more reminder

"But bring your World Class items with you. Just in case the player who brainwashed Shalltear decides to show up"

"…"

Ainz was met with an uncharacteristic pause from Demiurge.

 _"Hmm? He's not saying anything... did I say something wrong?"_

"Ainz-sama, forgive my insolence in questioning your word. But were we not operating under the assumption that this player is in fact the one who brainwashed Shalltear"

Ainz's non-existent heart stopped beating.

 _"That's right! I forgot, I still haven't told everyone about what Lupusregina reported to me... What a blunder! What am I going to do if this affects my image? I'm talking to Demiurge after all, he'll figure out that I'm a fraud. How will the other NPC's react if they find out about this?"_

Ainz's brain went into overdrive, trying to figure out the best way out of this situation.

"Ainz-sama?"

Demiurge's voice caused Ainz to panic and he blurted out the first thing that went through his head.

"O-Oh yeah that's right, I forgot to tell you. Lupusregina came in with a report a few minutes ago, I'll spare you the details but it proves that this player is not the one who brainwashed Shalltear, but rather a new player that was recently brought into this world."

"… Ah, I see."

Demiurge's curt response caused Ainz to panic once again and he apologized in an attempt to gain back some face. He once read a book about ideal bosses, and he was pretty sure there was a page in there that said 'Bosses who admit their mistakes to their employees are more respectable than those who try to push the blame'

"I'm sorry, Demiurge. This lack of information could have cost you. It is my fault."

"Ainz-sama, there is no need to continue with the act, I have figured it out"

 _"Huhhhhhhh?" Figured out what? That I'm a fraud?"_

Ainz buried his face into his hands

 _"Ahhh, it's over I've been exposed... well in a way this is refreshing. This could be a good thing, maybe now I don't have to keep up the act of a dignified ruler anymore around Demiurge."_

Just as Ainz started to warm up to the idea, Demiurge's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I have already figured out that Ainz-sama purposefully withheld the information to test my attention to detail when taking orders. Truly I am blessed to be allowed to serve such a wise being."

With that Ainz's newfound hopes were shot to the ground.

 _"I wonder... why do I feel so disappointed."_

Ainz mentally sighed before closing things up with Demiurge.

"As expected of you Demiurge, well done. You have become a master at divining the intent behind my actions"

"I am grateful for the praise, Ainz-sama"

"I'll leave you to it then"

With that Ainz ended the [Message] Spell

Sighing once again, Ainz looked towards his desk then the big stack of paperwork on top of it.

 _"Might as well get some paperwork done I guess."_

* * *

Azazel drew deep breaths. A warmth emanated from his cheeks, as he practically felt the color of red tinge his cheeks. His heartbeat seemed to resound throughout his whole being as he felt soft, smooth flesh wrapped around his arm.

 _"Where the hell is my emotion passive? Is this a side effect of my human form?! This is not how things are supposed to be. Arghhhh, I wish I could go back to my dragon form. Being in human mode makes me feel too much like the me in the real world!"_

Azazel squirmed in his seat, as he vehemently wished he was anywhere else in the world aside from this carriage.

 _"My body was not built to handle this. I was a hikikimori for christ's sake! I've never spoken with a girl below forty years old in my life in the real world, much less been in close proximity with one!"_

Azazel mentally screamed, as he felt two familiar lumps press against his arms yet again. For the past five minutes, Zesshi had been pressing her chest onto his arm. And whether he liked it or not, his senses had allowed him to get a grasp on their size.

 _"Almost the perfect holding size..."_

Pushing away the unwanted thoughts about Zesshi's cleavage, a flustered Azazel stuttered.

"Ze-Zesshi-sa-san."

The half-elf looked up at him, with innocent eyes that held just a little hint of mischief.

"Hmmm? What's wrong Azazel-kun?"

Azazel finally faced her, after having his eyes glued to the top corner of the carriage since Zesshi's arrival. Looking at her like this, Azazel thought that she really was beautiful. Her white skin that gave of the feeling that it was extremely smooth just by looking at it, her mismatched eyes and hair that just grabbed his eyes, her short stature, and her yukata-like clothing that accentuated her curves, and made it even harder to look at her without blushing.

Azazel almost couldn't believe that this was the same girl who managed to scare him into moving at full speed. Doing his best to calm himself, he managed to speak without stuttering like a fool.

"Could you please let go of my arm?"

Zesshi tilted her head to the side while maintaining that innocent look in her eye.

"Why? Isn't it natural for a bride to be close with her groom?"

Azazel's cheeks flushed even more than they had already.

"I never agreed to your proposal..."

Zesshi put on a playful smile,

"Hmmmm, well that's true but... You haven't denied it either."

"W-Well that's because it was so s-sudden. It came out of nowhere... In the first place it doesn't make any sense. Why would you ask me to marry you right after I hurt you?"

Zesshi laughed loudly,

"You're too cute. My tolerance for pain is a lot better than you think."

"Even if that's the case, that still doesn't explain why you want me to marry you."

Zesshi chuckled,

"Why are you so opposed to the idea? Am I not your type? Do you prefer someone taller? Someone with bigger breasts?"

Azazel turned to her, the panic evident on his face.

"NO! It's not a question of your beauty at all. It's more of my priorities, or uhm the oddness of your sudden proposal. It's not like I did anything particularly great..."

Azazel caught a tiny tinge of red flare up on Zesshi's features, but it disappeared as she suddenly laughed out loud.

"You're too easy to tease, Azazel-kun. I was only kidding."

With that Zesshi let go of his arm and moved back to her side of the carriage, facing away from him to look outside. Despite his earlier protests, he felt a little disappointed that she ended up letting go. Azazel looked at her as she stared outside.

"I wonder why... She's a lot weaker than me, but yet I somewhat feel a great respect for her. Was it because she managed to scare me despite the massive gulf between our abilities?"

Azazel gasped as he remembered something. He was going to ask her how she increased her speed so much in that last attack, but had forgotten due to the shock of being suddenly proposed to.

"Zesshi-san"

Zesshi turned to look at him,

"Yes?"

Azazel cleared his throat before continuing,

"In our duel yesterday, how did you do that last attack at the end? Your speed during that last strike was four times the speed of your earlier strikes."

Zesshi blinked at him as if the answer was obvious

"… I simply used a martial art... "

"Martial Art? What is that?"

Zesshi gave him a look that seemed to ask if he was living under a rock

"...It's a type of physical magic that warriors learn to push their body beyond its limits temporarily."

Azazel's eyes widened. This was something that did not exist in YGGDRASIL. After clashing with and easily defeating Thabim, one of the supposedly strongest beings in this world, he thought that he had an accurate understanding of the fighting capabilities of this world. But this Martial Arts... he had never heard of it before.

 _"I was careless... I really need to learn a lot more about this world, maybe I'll have Zesshi teach me."_

Azazel entertained the thought of Zesshi tutoring him for a few seconds before recalling the earlier events in the carriage.

 _"Nope. Bad idea."_

Zesshi gave him a curious stare, before staring outside the carriage again. He noticed her twiddling with her left ear beneath her hair.

"We're here Azazel."

As if following Zesshi's words, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Upon stepping out of the carriage, Azazel had stepped out of the [Silence] spell that had been cast on the carriage, thus the sounds of war now reached his ears. From the safety of the hill that the carriage had stopped at, Azazel looked at the battlefield. Zesshi joined him, and behind her came Adequin, who was riding in the carriage behind them.

Stretched out before them was the Crescent Lake, surrounding the lake was a forest. Though the two beside him probably couldn't see anything. Azazel's superior senses allowed him to view a lot of what was going on in the forest from his high vantage point

On the far south side of the Lake was the Elven Capital. Separated by the lake, the Slane Theocracy's forward base stood opposite the Elven Capital. In the stretch of forest connecting the two were the forces of the Slane Theocracy and the Elf Kingdom locked in deadly combat.

While the elves armies numbered many rangers, who jumped from tree to tree relying on swift and precise assassination to kill their opponents. The Slane Theocracy had trained Knights, most of which were able to repel the rangers.

However, the elven archers that remained hidden in the trees, and the bushes would provide the rangers support. Forcing the Knights backwards, the knights retreat to their priests and receive healing. While the elf magic casters would come out from hiding and heal the injured rangers. Their exchanges were near equal in terms of casualties, but the strategy of the elves allowed them to push the enemy back.

Seeing this exchange, Azazel couldn't help but wonder how the Slane Theocracy's forward base hasn't fallen yet.

After watching the exchanges for a while longer, Azazel found his answer. As the rangers got within a certain distance from the forward base, several traps arose. Magic arrows shot out from the ground, fireballs erupted. Explosions riddled the forest. The rangers stepped backwards, and from the smoke emerged multiple ninja-like figures. There was at least a dozen of them, they tore through the rangers who bought time while the archers and magic casters retreated.

"I take it those explosions were the handiwork of some sort of special organization within the Theocracy."

Azazel looked at Adequin, who nodded.

"Indeed, it is Azazel-san. They are a division of soldiers in the Theocracy specializing in assassination, guerilla warfare, and counter-terrorism."

"Hmmm, from what I can see. It seems this whole war with the Elf Kingdom has been one big game of Cat and Mouse. With the role of cat being passed around every now and then."

Zesshi's eyes lit up upon hearing Azazel's words.

"Exactly, it's because the Supreme Council refuses to commit any more than the Holocaust Scripture, and the standard knights. If they would at least send a few of the black scripture members. This war could have been over. Every time I bring it up, they say they don't want to have the Black Scripture participate in an open war."

Adequin nudged Zesshi, and Azazel heard him whisper.

"You're saying too much"

"He's going to learn about it all soon enough anyway"

Zesshi retorted, causing Adequin to sigh. Azazel broke the silence that had been born from their short exchange.

"Well that ends today... I wonder how the elves will react when a giant dragon smashes through their gates."

Zesshi grinned,

"I'd imagine they'd be pretty scared."

Azazel laughed,

"Probably..."

Azazel opened his inventory, taking out an item known as [Ring of Draconic communication]. Back in YGGDRASIL, this ring simply allowed you to send messages to any nearby Draconic players regardless of whether they were on your friend list.

However, in the new world this ring allowed him to telepathically communicate to any Dragon within this world. He had tested it when he was at the Theocracy. Despite being several miles away, he was able to contact Xolbat who was deep within the Azerlisia Mountains.

 _"Thabim..."_

 _"Azazel-sama, I await your orders."_

 _"Are you above us?"_

 _"I am presently, yes."_

 _"Good okay I'd like you to come down, but before that I have to ask..."_

Azazel paused before continuing.

 _"Have you felt it?"_

 _"If Azazel-sama is talking about the strong presence nearby, then yes I have felt it."_

Azazel had strong senses as a Dragonoid, but even he had his limits. He could only vaguely sense the presence of a strong being nearby. This is why he had asked Thabim. While Thabim was weaker than Azazel, his detection skills far outstripped Azazel's. Azazel had naturally good senses as a Dragon, but Thabim's levels were focused on physical ability, particularly detection.

Azazel prayed to god that a Shadow Demon would show up. His entire plan cinched on being able to capture and control at least one NPC from Nazarick.

Azazel sorted out his inventory to check if he had the items he would require for this operation.

His [Shooting Star Ring], the [Summoner's Bane-Totem], and his [Anti-time pendant]. If Azazel's hopes came true, then these three items would come in handy.

 _"Alright Thabim, come and get us"_

A few seconds later, Thabim tore a hole through the clouds as his body came flying down towards Azazel. He stabilized his fall and slowed down to a hover. The wind caused by the flapping of his wings shook the trees, and grass. Zesshi let out a low whistle, as Thabim lowered his head to allow Azazel and company to get on his head.

Azazel turned around to Adequin and Zesshi, as he confirmed the plan with them.

"So, the plan is I will deal with the elves in the forest. While the two of you will head to the capital along with Thabim. Is that right?"

The two nodded at him.

"Alright then. You guys can go on ahead, I don't need Thabim to get down there. I can just jump."

Adequin looked at him in awe, then at the nearly fifty-meter drop from this cliff to the forest.

Azazel heard him mutter something, as he mounted Thabim's neck.

"That vampire, Jaldabaoth, Momon, the Sorcerer king, and now this guy too? Where are all these otherworldly creatures coming from?."

Meanwhile Zesshi beamed at him with an adoring look in her eyes.

"As expected of my future groom!"

Azazel grumbled in reply,

"Please don't distract me right before a fight."

Zesshi smiled mischievously, before joining Adequin on Thabim's neck.

As soon as Azazel was sure that neither Adequin or Zesshi could see him anymore. He transformed back into his true form.

Azazel let off a sigh of relief, as his body transformed back into his Draconic form.

"This form really is the best. No annoying emotions."

Azazel stretched his limbs, as he re-accustomed himself to his dragon body.

After gaining a sense of familiarity with his body. Azazel activated a special skill of the [Draconian King] class.

[Draconian King's Summon: ArchDevil Dragon- Sorviez]

A giant bright orange hole formed in front of Azazel. A Dragon stepped out from the hole.

Although it was classified as a dragon, it's body resembled a Dragonoid's more than a Dragon's. The Dragon's chest was rippled with muscles, but it was covered in dark red scales everywhere else. Its tail was also covered in scales, but it was forked unlike a normal dragon's tail. Giant Horns protruded from its head. Its dark red wings stood at the same height as itself, and was only slightly wider than its body. It had wrists so thick that it would be difficult for Azazel to wrap his arms around it. This Devil of a dragon towered over Azazel, completely bathing him in its shadow

After it had fully emerged from the orange hole, Azazel asked Sorviez.

"How many sacrifices would you need to perform [Greater Dimensional Lock] on the whole southern forest?"

The ArchDevil spoke in deep gravelly tones,

"I require none. I still have the 130 souls you left me with the last time we met."

Azazel shuddered as he remembered the long grinding hours he had spent collecting "souls" for this ArchDevil. While Azazel could summon this creature anywhere, anytime. Actually, making use of it was a different story.

The ArchDevil was a powerful level 100 being, but in order to get it to fight for you. You needed to kill the equivalent of 50 level 100 players. It could perform other tasks as well such as casting certain spells, or summoning armies. But to get it do anything, you had to kill a certain number of players while it was summoned. It was a useful summon, when you had given it enough sacrifices to make use of it.

Swallowing his hesitation, Azazel ordered it to cast [Greater Dimensional Lock], A superior version of [Dimensional Lock], which blocked all teleportation magic in the area. Unlike [Dimensional Lock] which could be bypassed with super tier spells, [Greater Dimensional Lock] could only be dispelled by world class items that had specific abilities that directly countered [Greater Dimensional Lock]. In essence it was a super tier spell available only to Sorviez, and the other Supreme ArchDevils.

Azazel recalled being forced to fight against a trio of these ArchDevils, when [Zehid Regime] had laid siege to a particularly renowned guild. While their defenses were nowhere near as difficult to get past as [Ainz Ooal Gown]'s had been. It was still a shock for them when they turned a corner and were immediately attacked by three high class level 100 NPC's. Out of the 72 in their raiding force, a total of 8 were eliminated by the powerful ArchDevils.

After verifying that Sorviez had cast the spell, Azazel turned around to face the expanse of forest below him.

 _"Now then, time to attract some attention. Shadow Demon-chan I hope you show up."_

With those thoughts in his head Azazel jumped off the hill and into the Southern Forest.

* * *

Jak Azer stepped back. With the amount of shaking his legs were doing, it was a miracle that the movement had not caused him to fall.

 _"Why?! Why is this happening to me? I was just supposed to be a rear guard. My job was to just stand here!"_

Jak tore at his hair as his tears began falling. He had just witnessed his friends, and colleagues get torn apart like cannon fodder, and he knew in his heart that he was going to be next.

This monster, that was calmly burning the bodies of the knights it had slaughtered with its bare hands, had been struck with swords, riddle with arrows, and even struck with magic.

But it walked right through it all, not a single one of their attacks had even damaged the perfect state of his clothes, or broken his perfectly upright posture.

In the face of such monstrous power, Jak could do nothing but scream. And scream he did, the only thing that silenced Jak was when the monster had finally turned to him and with an exasperated sigh quickly beheaded him.

Demiurge looked down at the lifeless body of that noisy knight.

 _"Honestly, some people have no class. I even did them the favor of killing them personally, and that's how he reacts."_

As he burned the last remnant of the Slane Theocracy's rear guard, Demiurge decided he'd send a few more of these humans to his farm. Not because he needed any more, but because he quite enjoyed the feeling he got when he witnessed arrogant humans realize how low their place truly was. And from what he's seen so far, the Slane Theocracy would have plenty of people who fit into that category.

With a smile on his face, Demiurge walked further into the forest.

"You there, I want you and the rest of the hounds to establish a perimeter around the Slane Theocracy's forces. Don't let anything enter, and more importantly don't let anything leave."

He called out to the Hellhounds behind him. After lowering its head it left to follow Demiurge's orders.

 _"Hmmm, it seems the target has entered the forest. Azazel, I believe is what he was called. I hope he doesn't do anything troublesome like notice my presence."_

Demiurge called upon one of his 7 Evil Lords, Evil Lord Wrath. The large demon appeared from a [Gate] after it was called. It kneeled before Demiurge upon exiting the gate.

"Slaughter everything within the perimeter of Hellhounds, but keep 1 or 2 of the strongest ones alive."

The large Demon grunted to show his understanding. It then stood up, and disappeared into the forest. Not long after, screams started making its way to Demiurge's ears.

"What a beautiful sound, maybe I could find a way to replicate it. Perhaps use it as a lullaby for Ainz-sama's heir, if he were to choose to have one."

While humming to himself, Demiurge followed after Wrath.

* * *

Adequin felt several hostile stares directed at him. While this was to be expected, seeing as he had waltzed in here by using a dragon to tear down a large section of their walls. He still could not help but feel annoyed.

He was not supposed to be here, in the heart of enemy territory. The original plan had been to use divination magic to monitor Azazel's attack on the Elf Kingdom, but when Zesshi had charged into the Supreme Council's meeting room and demanded to be sent with Azazel. Not a single council member had the luxury to, nor the ability to deny her. And thus, he was sent to be her bodyguard and babysitter.

He followed his superior's orders, because first and foremost he was a soldier. But if he had the luxury to share his opinion he would have stated that accompanying Zesshi was quite unnecessary for a multitude of reasons. One being the imposing figure of the dragon behind them whose shadow reached them even at the center of the kingdom, and another being Zesshi's heritage. In the elven kingdom, only the royal bloodline had mismatched eyes. Seeing Zesshi's eyes all elves steered clear of their path. Guards followed them, but not a single one made a move.

Since Zesshi could not be the target of malice for these elves, all their hostility had instead fallen on Adequin.

Even amidst all the killing intent washing over him however, Adequin had not flinched. Instead he scoffed at it.

 _"After witnessing the crushing presence of that vampire, normal killing intent just doesn't affect me anymore. I'd have to be faced with an opponent of Zesshi's caliber to even feel a little fear..."_

Zesshi stopped. In front of them was an elf in full-plate armor. While Adequin could not see his face, he could tell he was quite disturbed by Zesshi's presence. Adequin would not have been surprised if he turned tail and ran from them in that instant.

After a deathly long silence, the elf finally spoke,

"I-I have been ordered to take the elf to the throne room... a-and only the elf."

At those words, Adequin felt the ends of many arrows being pointed at him.

He entered a defensive stance, placing his hand that was formerly at his side onto his spear.

"If you shoot those arrows, I will have no choice but to defend myself from your attacks. I cannot guarantee that I won't kill every last one of you in my retaliation."

Silence settled in, for a while nobody made a move. Sensing the elves resign themselves to shooting at him, Adequin's body tensed up as he prepared to block the incoming barrage of arrows. However, before anyone could kill anyone, Zesshi spoke

"Don't you people see that dragon? Don't you get it? It's already over. We win, you lose. In that case shouldn't you be trying to cozy up to your new rulers, instead of trying to kill them?"  
Zesshi's words gave the elves pause. Several of them glanced repeatedly between Zesshi, Adequin, and the Dragon resting by their walls. After repeating this a number of times, the elves decided to take Zesshi's advice. They dropped their bows, and turned away from Zesshi, and Adequin.

A smiling Zesshi turned back to look at Adequin, with a grin plastered on her face she shot him a look that seemed to say "You're Welcome"

Ignoring her grin, Adequin resumed his neutral stance as they were led past the gates, into the castle. Adequin looked up at the stone walls of the castle in front of him. Sometime in the past, former members of the Black Scripture had walked in the same area as he was doing right now. Although the circumstances of their mission were different, Adequin felt pride in knowing that he was treading the same path as Black Scripture members that came before him.

Adequin and Zesshi were led inside the castle, looking around Adequin noticed that there were a lot less guards inside. Perhaps this was done on purpose to mislead would be invaders into thinking the inside was safe, but somehow it did not feel that way to Adequin. To confirm his doubts, Adequin asked a question of the elf in full-plate.

"Where are the other guards? There's nobody in this castle."

The elf turned to look at him for a moment before responding

"The Elf King said that he was more than strong enough to defend himself. He said that instead of wasting our time standing around, we should have been training to get stronger."

Adequin was surprised, he had heard rumors that the Elf King was once a member of the Thirteen Heroes. So, he knew that to some extent the Elf was strong and confident in his abilities. But he never expected him to be arrogant enough to deny guards in his castle.

 _"What a fool..."_

Adequin returned from his thoughts after noticing that the Elf had stopped in front of a large door. Sensing killing intent behind it, Adequin raised his spear.

The Elf knocked on the large doors thrice, before he opened them. In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, but small enough to sound pathetic he announced their presence.

"Your Majesty, I have brought the Elf girl here as you requested."

Adequin looked at the Elf King at the far end of the room. The Elf King's eyes were mismatched, much like Zesshi's. However, while Zesshi had a black and blue, he had green and blue. His hair, which was a lustrous silver, reached all the way down his back. But aside from his regal look, he wasn't a threat. Someone of his level would have been able to defeat most of the Black Scripture, but Adequin would have no problem dealing with the Elf. Zesshi, whose abilities dwarfed Adequin's, would downright slaughter him.

The Elf King sat on an ornate throne that sat atop a dais. He wore thin, but enchanted armor. Leaning on his throne, was a large pearly white great sword. The sword contained a red gem at its hilt's center.

Placing his hand on the sword's hilt, the elf stood up. His gaze focused on Zesshi, seemingly scanning every part of her. A wide grin broke out on the Elf King's face, and he spoke.

"So, the Slane Theocracy has finally decided to return my child to me, and in such splendid form too. I truly must give them my thanks. First, they rewarded me with that woman, and now they send me the child that I had sired."

Adequin felt the air around Zesshi grow tense. The Elf King smiled as he noticed it as well.

"Well, it seems my child is in need of proper discipline. Aiming killing intent at your own father is hardly proper..."

The Elf King's words trailed off, as his eyes landed on Adequin. A disgusted look forming on his face, he turned to the elf that had brought them here.

"Did I not say to bring only the elf, and kill the other one."

"Y-Yes Your Majesty! Y-you did sir!"

"Then why is he still alive?"

The elf's posture wavered at the question, Adequin could hear the boy shaking beneath his armor.

"Y-Your Majesty, it is this lowly one's belief that we would have all been slaughtered had we attacked him."

The Elf King sent him off with a scoff,

"Useless, every single one of them..."

The Elf King then stared at Adequin. Adequin's crimson red eyes met with the green and blue of the Elf King's.

"I guess I'll kill you first."

"Hmmm? You think I'll let that happen?"

Zesshi stepped in front of Adequin. She readied her scythe and adopted a battle stance.

The Elf King scoffed again.

"You'll soon see what true power is like. I am a man who does not, and cannot know defeat. Only the Thirteen Heroes' leaders were superior to me, and now that they're gone... I am invincible."

The Elf King straightened his great sword, which was leaning over the throne. Adequin's eyes narrowed, the sword was reacting strangely, it was as if it was pushing against something. Adequin's eyes widened as he realized what the sword was.

Adequin felt Zesshi jump off to the side, she had noticed the same thing he did, but she reacted faster. Adequin moved to avoid the trap, but a thought passed through his head.

 _"Wouldn't Zesshi rather be alone when she kills this elf?"_

That thought caused him to hesitate for a moment, and in that moment's hesitation. The floor beneath him split into two like twin trapdoors, and Adequin fell into it. Just before he completely lost sight of the room above he heard the words.

"Adequin!"

He was quickly swallowed by the darkness, as he fell. Adequin took out a wooden totem, his face didn't hold even the slightest sign of worry as he fell. The totem depicted the image of a knight in full plated armor. The knight wielded a sword in one hand, and a shield on the other, it was in a dormant guardsman-like position.

Adequin broke the totem in his hands, causing the magic inside to flow out and surround him. A green energy covered Adequin's body, and he positioned his body to land on his feet

Adequin crashed into the ground, landing on his two feet and one arm. He looked at the floor beneath him. It was made of solid stone. Strangely enough, the impact of Adequin's protection magic clashing with it at that speed had not damaged the stone.

 _"Is it enchanted stone perhaps?"_

Adequin looked up, and saw the trapdoors closing. In the next moment, Adequin was completely covered in darkness. Adequin scanned his surroundings, and though he could not see anything in the pitch-black darkness, he felt that this room was rather large.

Adequin heard the sound of something big moving. He grabbed his spear and pointed it in front of him. Sweat dripped down Adequin's forehead, as he realized what was in this room with him. Though he was not sure at first, he was sure now that there was some kind of monster in this room with him. He heard its large footsteps as it circled him, like a predator that had cornered its prey. While Adequin was generally confident in his abilities, that was only when he could see the enemy and assess it's strength. In that moment, faced with an unknown presence Adequin felt unease.

Adequin felt a rush of air charging at him from the front. Using his right foot as a pivot, he threw his body to the right while maintaining a forward stance. Without looking behind, he ran backwards several paces. Before settling into a defensive stance, with his spear pointed outwards. He heard the monster stop with a screeching halt, as it slowed its charge.

It grunted, seemingly disappointed that Adequin was not yet a corpse.

"That's the first time anybody that fell in here survived my first attack... Granted, prior to you nobody else had even survived the fall to begin with."

Adequin furrowed his eyebrows. The monster could talk, talking beasts were generally intelligent. If Adequin could not identify what it was, or at least find a way to effectively fight in the darkness. He would be in some big trouble.

"Out of respect for your skill, I'll let you attempt to strike me. I'm right in front of you."

Adequin said nothing in reply. Instead he listened to his surroundings intently, it was faint but he heard the sharp whistle of the wind as something small but fast was heading towards him. Adequin jumped up and stabbed his spear into the ground. The sound of his spear clashing with something hard resounded throughout the dark space. He heard a short gasp of pain, as the tail that had tried to strike him retracted.

Adequin landed back on his feet. He touched the tip of his spear, and felt something hard stuck on it.

"I see... so I'm dealing with a dragon."

Adequin mused out loud.

"...I-Impressive, you managed to remove a scale."

The dragon was trying to sound calm, but Adequin could tell that it was flustered. Perhaps it didn't like the fact that Adequin had stripped of a scale from its tail.

 _"This dragon's a fool. It thinks that just because it is naturally strong, it can beat any human."_

Adequin peered into the space in front of him. His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, could just barely make out the shape of something large to his left.

Adequin quickly faced the left and adapted the same defensive stance earlier. But this time he did not just stand there waiting for an attack.

Adequin activated [Shukuchi], a martial art that allowed him to close the distance between him and the dragon without moving his feet. But halfway between his advance he activated a martial art that he had developed himself, [Shukuchi Jump]. His body flew upwards without the help of his feet. Adequin moved his legs toward his head, and with that as momentum he managed to move through the air in a graceful manner. It would have been praised as perfect had Adequin performed it in a gymnastics competition.

Adequin reached a point of equilibrium in the air, his body placed directly above the dragon's. Adequin pointed his spear downwards, and straightened his legs. Assuming a position that would have shamed professional divers in the real world, he activated yet another original martial art, [Instant Fall]. Adequin's body went flying down at a speed that should not have been possible.

The sound of something hard caving in, flesh being torn, and a dragon screaming bounced around the walls. Adequin withdrew his spear from the dragon, and he performed a backwards somersault before the dragon could move.

The dragon stood on its feet, it's legs were wobbling, and its blood was gushing out from his chest. But there was no pain in that dragon's eyes. The only thing there was rage, pure unfiltered rage at the man who had reduced him to this state.

It opened its mouth as wide as it could, and a bright orange glow seemed to shine from its throat. Recognizing the scene, Adequin took out another wooden totem, and crushed it. Just as the magic surrounded his body, he was enveloped by the billowing flames that shot from the dying dragon.

The dragon grinned,

 _"If I'm going to die, I'm at least taking you with me."_

The fire surged through the air slamming into the wall. Licks of flame landed around the area, creating sources of light. The room was now illuminated by fire. Satisfied by his flames, the dragon tried to move. But as it started to crawl over to find the man's burnt body, it froze.

The dragon's grin turned into an expression of shock. Fear crept into the dragon's eyes. In the center of the flames was the man who should have been burnt. But instead he was standing there unharmed. Not even his hair was singed. His expression remained as emotionless as when he fell into this pit, the look of apathy in the man's red eyes struck fear into the dragon.

"I have to thank you for providing me some light... Now, I can hit you without missing."

The dragon stepped back in fear. Adequin simply raised his spear with one hand, and adopted a throwing position.

"As a reward, I'll let you die by the mightiest attack in my arsenal. Witness the power of light, witness the power of my God, Alah Alaf."

As he spoke those words, the spear turned into a mass of white light. Adequin wordlessly threw the spear at the dragon. In the instant his hands lost contact with it, the spear sped up. It flew through the air faster than Adequin could blink. If the attack's name was to be trusted, the spear had just torn through the dragon at light speed. Its body lifelessly slumped onto the ground.

Adequin turned his gaze to the trapdoors above him.

"Now then, Zesshi should have finished by now."

* * *

Zesshi clicked her tongue, as she looked at the hole in the room. The Elf King simply smiled, as he returned the sword to its leaning state. The trapdoor beside her began to close.

 _"That idiot Adequin, how on earth did he get caught by that pathetic trap?!"_

A slow clap filled the room, Zesshi turned to look at the source of the sound. The Elf King beamed at her.

"Oh, thank god you avoided that trap. I don't know what I would have done if the strongest woman I've ever impregnated gave birth to a weakling."

The Elf King grabbed his sword and pulled it from its sheath. The sword's blade itself was crimson red, while it's hilt and sheath were pure white. With sword in hand, the Elf King descended from the dais.

"I hope you know that we don't have to do this. I'd rather not give my daughter a beating upon meeting her. With you as the first step, I can create my army of powerful fighters to take over the world. And once we've done so... Well despite the world's objection to inter-family relationships, I would not be opposed to making you my Queen."

Zesshi spat in his direction as a response,

 _"I refuse to accept that I have your blood in me."_

A twisted look appeared on the Elf King's face, and his smile turned into a sneer

"Looks like I'll have to beat some sense into you."

He rushed at her with great speed, his body seemingly cut through the air as he lunged. In an instant, he was right in front of her with his sword raised high above his head. He brought the sword down on Zesshi as hard as he could. Zesshi blocked his strike in such a way that the scythe's blade was facing the Elf King.

It turned into a contest of strength, which Zesshi easily won. Pushing away the great sword, and at the same time swinging at the Elf King's head. Faced with Zesshi's frightening speed and power, the Elf King jumped backwards. However, he was not unscathed, the tip of the scythe's blade left a cut on the king's face.

"...You cut me..."

"I did"

The Elf King shot Zesshi a smile.

"That was a splendid move, you're every bit as strong as I thought you would be... But tell me, how did you overpower my strength."

Zesshi spoke, her expression remaining emotionless.

"It's simply a matter of who has the better equipment."

"Ahahahahahaha."

The Elf King laughed burying his head into his hands. After he had finished laughing, he turned back to Zesshi.

"My dear girl, you don't know anything about equipment. I adventured with the Thirteen Heroes, and battled Evil Deities. My equipment cannot be anything less than the very best of this world."

Zesshi smiled for the first time since she entered this room.

"Let's put that to the test."

Zesshi rushed the Elf King at a speed comparable to the latter's opening attack. She brought her scythe down on him. Dodging, the Elf King thrusted his sword at the exposed Zesshi. She somersaulted over the strike, simultaneously dodging the strike and lifting her scythe from the ground. Using the momentum of her earlier strike, she lunged at the Elf King with a diagonal slash. He parried, but Zesshi followed up with another strike. The Elf King parried her strike again, with a wide smile on his face and a gleeful light in his eyes.

The battle of the elves devolved into a test of speed, and stamina. Throwing strike after strike, parrying repeatedly. The elves were locked in a high-speed battle of skill.

Zesshi launched a diagonal slash which the Elf King parried to the right. The Elf King countered with a quick stab, but before he could make contact, Zesshi brought the scythe back for another slash. The Elf King bent his arm to the side in an attempt to bring his arms out of the scythe's way. But it wasn't good enough. Another cut formed on the Elf King's arm, causing him to miss his stab. The Elf jumped back, narrowly avoiding Zesshi's downward slash.

"Not bad."

The Elf King praised her honestly. She was fighting against the highest caliber of being and she had the upper hand.

 _"But that doesn't mean I've lost... far from it. After all what's a warrior without his martial arts."_

With a smile on his face, the Elf King unleashed one of his trump cards. By combining [Greater Ability Boost], [Body Strengthening], [Flow Acceleration], [Pace of the Wind], and [Physical Boost]. He had effectively created a martial art that allowed him to possess the highest order of speed and strength. He called it [God's Blessing].

 _"A fitting name, after all I am quite similar to a God."_

With his enhanced speed and strength, he rushed Zesshi. He aimed a strike at the girl's chest with the flat of his blade, so as not to kill her.

The Elf King had expected Zesshi's body to sail across the throne room, and she would be either knocked out or barely conscious. Instead, she blocked the strike, the elf's mouth dropped.

"I-Impossible!"

The elf had his breath stolen from him by the shock of the situation. The strike that Zesshi was supposed to be unable to see, the strike with enough strength behind it to send a troll flying had been blocked.

Zesshi stood there holding her scythe with one hand. Whereas the Elf King struggled to push against her scythe. Zesshi stood unmoved, her arm unwavering.

Giving up, the Elf King jumped back. His breathing grew heavy. He struggled to stop his hand from shaking. After that clash, his hands had gone numb and he found it hard to hold on to his blade.

Zesshi smiled at the flustered Elf.

"Now then, That's enough warm-up. Let me show you the gap between normal beings, and those descended from the Gods."

With that Zesshi disappeared from the Elf King's view. In the next moment she was in front of him, but she was still a blur. As the Elf King struggled to see Zesshi, he was left with multiple cuts. He received more and more cuts. Cuts on his arms, his legs, his neck, even his face was riddled with tiny slashes.

Though the cuts were small and shallow, the Elf King felt like each cut was draining away his soul. After leaving 17 cuts on him, Zesshi stopped being a blur. She now stood a few steps away from the shaking Elf King.

Drained of energy he collapsed to his knees. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get his arms to move. The Elf King screamed at Zesshi.

"YOU! YOU BITCH! YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN ME ANY SERIOUS WOUNDS, SO WHY?! WHY AM I UNABLE TO MOVE!? WHAT SORT OF TRICKERY DID YOU USE!?"

Zesshi smiled at the howling elf,

"Like I said before, it's a matter of who has the better equipment."

"Impossible... No equipment could possibly beat the ones I had gained on my travels."

"A god's equipment could."

Zesshi replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"A G-God's?"

"Yes, this scythe once belonged to Surshana-sama, the God of Death. According to the oral traditions, this weapon was enchanted with strong death magic. In the God's exact words, this scythe depletes 5% of an enemy's HP with each hit unless the magic effect was resisted. After some experimentation, it was discovered that HP meant life force. Basically, I can kill any opponent with twenty cuts."

The Elf King's eyes widened

"Seven-Seventeen..."

"That's right, you're as good as dead."

The Elf King shook. Not because of fear, but because of anger.

"I cannot lose here! I am a King! A god! I was born to crush the world under foot! I met the mighty leaders of the Thirteen Heroes so that my strength would grow! I survived while they had died because I am destined! I did not die against the Evil Deities, and I will certainly not die to the child of a woman that I raped!"

Zesshi chuckled,

"Those are some good last words."

With that Zesshi's expression turned dark,

"Now it's time for you to pay... for what you did to my mom. You will pay with your life."

"I CANNOT DI-"

Zesshi swung her scythe at the Elf's undefended neck, cutting his words short. She watched the head fall to the ground. Unconsciously, Zesshi twiddled with her left ear. In a soft tone she muttered,

"I did it... I did it Mother, you have been avenged."

* * *

Azazel sighed as he dispatched his 70th Elf. He had been strolling around the forest for hours dispatching elves as he saw them, yet not a single Shadow Demon had shown up.

"Looks like I won't be catching an NPC today after all."

Azazel was brought out of his self-pitying when he heard the sounds of what seemed like a dog. He walked towards the source of the sound. As he walked through the bushes, and trees he arrived upon a small clearing. On the other side of the clearing were ten hellhounds. Azazel gasped lightly, almost inaudibly.

His surprise was soon replaced by excitement, and his heart started beating a beat faster than usual.

Azazel took out two of the things he had prepared in his inventory. He wore his [Shooting Star] ring, strung the [Anti-Time Pendant] around his neck. He then brought out Mjolnir. [Mjolnir-Transform: Metallic State: Great Sword].

Breathing heavily, Azazel activated a skill, and for a moment Azazel's body felt weightless as he lunged at the hellhounds on the opposite side. Even these canines from hell with their strong senses only noticed Azazel when one of them had been pinned to the ground by a large hand around its neck. This was [Dragon Rush] a skill that allowed him to obtain the speed of his humanoid form for a couple seconds.

After placing his knee over the hellhound's chest, Azazel took out the [Summoner's Bane Totem] from his inventory, and cracked the totem above the hellhound's head. A bright yellow magic enveloped the hellhound as it howled. An explosion of light followed, and for a moment Azazel felt another creature's neck in his hands before he was sent flying backwards several feet by an unknown force.

"Anti-Binding item... Interesting."

Azazel muttered as he looked up at the figure that had sent him flying. He recognized it immediately, a spiked tail, well-combed black hair, dark skin, glasses, and an orange suit with faint stripes of white. This was the ArchDevil of the 7th Floor.

Azazel smiled as he assumed a fighting stance with Mjolnir.

"Demiurge... Let's see how strong you are."

 **Author's Note: There's Chapter 3 finished. This one was a little harder to write than the last two, due to my lack of ideas for it. But in the process of brainstorming I managed to come up with something. And even better my mind was suddenly struck with an inspiration. I now have an outline for the events of the entire fanfiction, so that's good. I don't have to do much brainstorming anymore. Anyway thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, I hope I get some more this chapter. (You can never get enough feedback)**


	4. Threatened Loyalties

**Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord**

 **Author's Note: I apologize in advance for my abysmal naming sense for both skill names and the chapter title.**

Azazel stared at Demiurge, examining his expression. Demiurge returned the gaze, as if nothing about the current situation was odd.

"You catch on fast. Just a second ago you were completely surprised."

Demiurge replied by leaping backwards, widening the gap between him and Azazel. Azazel heard him say.

"[Aspect of the Devil: Archdemon's Wrist]."

Demiurge's wrist expanded to almost 10 times its former size. Wielding his wrist like a hammer, Demiurge pounced on Azazel attempting to crush him. Azazel just stood there as the wrist made contact with his head. A crashing sound resonated throughout the forest, but Azazel was unhurt. Demiurge's eyes widened slightly after seeing Azazel tank his hit. Taking advantage of Demiurge's momentary confusion, Azazel rushed forward and unleashed a flurry of stabbing attacks at Demiurge. He easily dodged the first few stabs.

Sensing Demiurge grow confident, Azazel lunged at him with one more stab, which he deftly dodged. Demiurge attempted to punch Azazel and throw him off balance, but as he stepped forward, a sharp pain emanated from his right shoulder. Wary of whatever caused him pain, Demiurge jumped backwards several times.

Azazel smirked at Demiurge's reaction.

 _"I love [Dragon Art:Sword Wings] so much. Whenever players get confident at dodging my strikes this skill always gets them."_

[Dragon Art:Sword Wings] was a skill that could be used up to 5 times in a day. The skill allowed its user to lengthen its attack radius by a few inches on all directions for ten seconds. Thus, Azazel could stab empty air and still hit his opponent if said opponent was close enough

Azazel lunged at Demiurge with a stab, but he had gotten wary of Azazel's sword and he jumped out of the way well before Azazel's attack could reach him. Even with his skill activated. Seeing this, Azazel stabbed a foot into the ground to slow his lunge, and he turned his stab into a cross slash. This had been done in one swift motion leaving Demiurge unable to react. A gash appeared across his waist. Demiurge stumbled back, unable to regain his balance. Azazel used another skill while Demiurge was fumbling with his position. Like a flash of thunder, Azazel charged towards Demiurge and unleashed a storm of stabs and slashes. Demiurge was unable to defend himself as the strikes washed over him like a giant wave.

The combination of [Dragon Art:Sword Wings], and [Blade Storm] left Demiurge's clothes in tatters. Demiurge, who was riddled with cuts, was panting and heaving while down on one knee.

Azazel stood over him with a cocky smile, that said "I win", plastered on his face. Demiurge tried to back away while getting back on his feet. Azazel kicked him in the chest as he was getting up. Demiurge was shot back by the impact of the kick, and only stopped when his body was embedded into a boulder.

Demiurge just barely managed to get himself off the boulder, when Azazel crashed into the rocks with a full force stab. Demiurge threw his body, managing to dodge the lunge.

A frown crowning itself on his features, Demiurge leapt backwards away from Azazel, who was stepping out of the hole in the boulder that he had created. In a last-ditch attempt to turn the tide of the battle, Demiurge cast two spells.

"[Devil's Diversiform: Stout Demon's Gigantic Arms]. [Devil's Diversiform: Arachnid Celerity]."

A green glow seemed to go through Demiurge's body as his arms grew to gigantic proportions. With his giant arms in tow, Demiurge lunged at Azazel, who had taken up a relaxed stance, with a speed that should not have been possible for a creature with his arms. Demiurge appeared in front of Azazel in a flash, and landed a direct hit.

Azazel was undamaged once again, but he was still knocked back a few feet by the impact. Noticing that his attacks had no effect on Azazel, Demiurge attempted to summon his underlings.

"My 7 Evil Lords, I command you to-"

Azazel appeared above him in a flash, cutting of his words. Azazel had used his second daily use of [Dragon Rush], to stop Demiurge from bringing his allies. With a smile, Azazel heaved Mjolnir down at Demiurge. Demiurge returned Azazel's smile, and Azazel heard him say.

"[Aspect of the Devil: Hellfire Mantle]"

Mjolnir was inches away from Demiurge's face when a roaring flame erupted from his body accompanied by a shockwave, knocking both Mjolnir and its wielder away. Azazel's body spun as he crashed into a tree, snapping it in half.

Azazel extended his wings, effectively stopping himself from tumbling any further. Azazel paused for a moment as he regained his breath. A slight feeling of discomfort spread throughout Azazel's body after getting hit by the flames, aside from that he wasn't hurt. However, spinning at high-velocity had stolen his breath for a moment.

Recovering from the attack, Azazel flew up to the sky and surveyed the forest. Azazel found Demiurge several meters away from him. Even if he flew with [Dragon Rush], he would not be able to catch up. Demiurge was in his transformed state, he flew through the forest, but he didn't leave the safety of the forest's canopy.

 _"Demiurge, he's a smart little NPC isn't he. Well if I can't win the race with my own speed, then I'll just slow down the enemy."_

Azazel mused before transforming Mjolnir,

"[Mjolnir-Transform: Shotgun]"

The blade in Azazel's hand glowed as it transformed into a white shotgun. Golden wings were etched onto the shotgun's stock, it's trigger was one of pure gold, and patterns of golden lines covered the barrel.

This was Hildr, one of the most powerful weapon changes Mjolnir could undergo. It was a weapon added into the game after the "Fall of Valkyria" update.

Before it was integrated into Mjolnir, Azazel had brought this weapon on their attack on The Great Tomb of Nazarick. He still recalled how useful it was on the third floor. They were surrounded on all sides by undead, and vampire brides. At the same time, they had to deal with that monster of an NPC, Shalltear Bloodfallen. Azazel had used the weapon's special skill, [Valhalla Fallen], and wiped out every NPC on the floor that wasn't above level 80. Shalltear Bloodfallen had also received considerable damage from the attack.

 _"If I had used this skill on the 6_ _th_ _floor instead, I wonder if we could have won..."_

Azazel shook the unnecessary thoughts from his head _._ He took aim at the forest beneath his feet and pulled the trigger while at the same time activating [Valhalla Fallen].

A tiny ball of light shot out from the shotgun. It floated lazily to the ground, like a falling feather. Taking its sweet time, the ball of light made contact with the ground. Upon touching the soil, the ball instantaneously expanded. Bright light permeated throughout the forest, bathing everything in white light. Within seconds the Southern Forest was turned into a giant beacon of light. Not even the sky above escaped the light, Azazel was enveloped in the light as quickly as everything else was. The light seemed to stretch up past the sky, and into the stars. In an instant that tiny ball of light turned into a giant pillar. Then, just as abruptly as it appeared the pillar disappeared.

Azazel surveyed the forest once more. The land itself was undamaged, but everything inside it, aside from Demiurge, and one other severely weakened creature, was dead.

Azazel quickly zipped through the air. He flew through the air right at the spot where he last saw Demiurge. On the way he transformed Mjolnir into a bow of pure light.

He spotted Demiurge in the middle of a clearing, as he was trying to escape back into the forest. Demiurge had reverted back to his more human-like form. His clothes were still impeccable, but his skin was singed and his face was contorted with pain. Still hovering above the forest, Azazel drew the bowstring back, and as he did an arrow of pure light formed.

Azazel let the arrow loose, it flew at Demiurge piercing through his right shoulder. Overcome by the force of the arrow, Demiurge was brought to his knees. He tried to raise a leg, but Azazel let another arrow loose. It went through Demiurge's thigh and into the soil, pinning his leg to the ground. Azazel followed up with another arrow to his left shoulder pinning it to the ground as well.

Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground. Landing behind Demiurge, Azazel transformed Mjolnir into a sword once more. He warily walked towards Demiurge until he was at his side. Demiurge turned his head and shot Azazel a look of absolute contempt.

"You dare damage this body of mine! That the supreme beings themselves have created!"

Azazel said nothing, and simply watched Demiurge's face intently. He raised his hand which contained the [Shooting Star] ring, ready to cast the super tier magic [Wish Upon a Star].

But the moment he did Azazel saw the sign he was waiting for, the corner of Demiurge's mouth twitching. Azazel jumped back launching himself into the air again, at the same time, wings that were thrice as long as his body sprouted out from Demiurge's back. The unnaturally long wings pointed themselves at Azazel, who was flying away, and fired a flurry of its black feathers at his retreating figure.

Azazel dove for the ground, narrowly avoiding the feathers. He landed on the ground with a large thud, as multiple particles of dirt flew in the air from the impact of his sudden landing.

Azazel smiled as he reveled in his success.

"Yosh, now I've redeemed myself. I can't believe I got baited so easily earlier."

Azazel calmly walked back towards Demiurge. As he walked back the weak second presence he had sensed earlier suddenly appeared behind him. Azazel attempted to leap forward and distance himself from the presence, but it was too late. He had let his guard down, and allowed the creature to get close.

Before Azazel could move, he felt his scales cave in to a penetrating force. A sharp pain wracked Azazel's body, as he felt eight sharp claws tear into his skin. He attempted to move his hands, but his fingers would not react. He felt his muscles stiffening, as some sort of liquid seeped through his flesh.

 _"Paralysis poison! Fuck!"_

Azazel struggled to turn his head before the effects of the poison reached it. What he saw was an ugly demon. The creature was slightly bigger than Azazel across all fronts. It was a huge mass of dark brown muscle, with scales adorning its shoulders, wrists, and thighs. Its eyes were completely dark, save for the two pinpoints of red light in the center. Its horns protruded from the spot where his ears should have been, the horns were pointed downwards rather than the stereotypical upwards, or straight forward. Spikes adorned its head and back forming a line that halved its body. Its large wings were topped off with a fire that seemed to burn endlessly. Below it was the demons tail, it resembled a snake, discounting the fire that lit up its tip. Its hands had four sharp claws each. Those claws were now embedded into Azazel's waist

Upon seeing the creature, memories of his research about the creatures of Nazarick's 7th and 8th floors resurfaced in Azazel's mind.

 _"Wrath? Evil Lord Wrath? Impossible! This is a level 83 demon. It's weaker than Thabim, and Zesshi, how the fuck is its poison working on me?! My items should be negating anything below level 95!"_

The Evil Lord began walking back to Demiurge, upon reaching the clearing where Demiurge lay Wrath used its tail and pulled out the arrows that pinned its master to the ground.

Demiurge stood up steadily, a winning smile on his face. He slowly walked over to Wrath who still had the paralyzed Azazel in his hands. The holes in his shoulders and thigh were closing up, steam came out from the once open holes in Demiurge's flesh as it healed.

Demiurge extended an open hand, and an ornate chalice took shape on the flat of his palm. The chalice had a golden snake coiled around its base and stem, extending beyond the top of the chalice.

Although he was paralyzed, Azazel could feel his eyes widening.

 _"B_ _owl of Hygieia! That's a world item!"_

Demiurge brought the chalice to his lips. As he drank from it, the gold in the snake flashed. Only settling when Demiurge stopped drinking.

The holes in Demiurge's body closed up, the burns on his face disappeared, and his back resumed its straight posture.

Still holding the chalice in one hand, Demiurge pointed his other hand up to the sky.

"[Aspect of the Devil:Razor Sharp Claws]."

Demiurge's nails elongated, piercing through his gloved hands. The nails reached a height that almost touched the forests canopy. He then closed his fingers, forming his hand into a knife-like shape. Pointing his nails at Azazel, he slowly adjusted its angle so that it would be right in front of Azazel's shoulder. Demiurge drove his nails into Azazel. Azazel's scales resisted for a few seconds before giving in to the nails.

Azazel couldn't even scream as he felt the nails worming their way into his flesh and bones. Demiurge stopped the movement right as Azazel felt the nails touch his bone. An intense flash of pain spread through Azazel's arm, as Demiurge gave his shoulder bone a light prod.

Demiurge then turned to Wrath.

"Stop the paralysis in his head. We can't make him talk if his mouth is paralyzed."

Demiurge turned his gaze back to Azazel. Flashing him a wry smile, Demiurge continued.

"And I quite like to hear my sheep scream."

Azazel's head went limp, as the paralysis effect left it. Azazel heard Demiurge talking, but his brain was too preoccupied trying to find a way out to take notice.

A sharp pain from his shoulders cut through his torrent of thoughts, momentarily making his mind go blank from pain.

Azazel heard Demiurge's voice speaking to him once again.

"I will neglect the answer to my previous question as it is quite obvious now that you are Azazel... I have to say you had us fooled with that human form of yours. But more importantly, tell me how you teleported me to your location?"

"…I used... an... item."

Azazel struggled to grunt out the words, as he was still recovering from the pain.

"I see... Do you have more of this item?"

Azazel nodded,

"I see, I suppose I'll have to procure them from you when we're done. Now tell me how you cast [Dimensional Lock]?"

Despite his situation, Azazel still managed to grin at Demiurge's words.

"I didn't"

A gleeful light seemed to shine in Demiurge's eyes upon hearing Azazel's words.

"Thank you."

Demiurge accompanied his words with a mocking bow.

"I had hoped you would show some resistance. So, when you answered my earlier question so readily, I was quite disappointed. Now then, let's wring the truth of you, shall we?"

Demiurge drove his nails further into Azazel's shoulder, piercing halfway through the bone.

"ARGHHHHH"

Now that his mouth wasn't paralyzed, Azazel's screams of pain came out. Demiurge's smile widened.

"Azazel, it is in your best interest not to lie to me... But if you don't want to tell me, then don't let me stop you."

Demiurge laughed.

"Your screams are quite... entertaining."

Something in Azazel's brain clicked upon hearing Demiurge call his name, and a flash of inspiration struck him. In between raspy breaths Azazel spoke.

"I'm... not... Azazel."

Demiurge cocked an eyebrow.

"Hmmm. You gave the Theocracy a fake name and a fake form? ...Well it hardly matters."

Ignoring Demiurge's disinterest, Azazel went on. This time he spoke as loudly as he could muster with the pain in his shoulder.

"I am... Sorviez!"

"Like I said it doesn't matter. Now tell me ho-"

Azazel continued, cutting Demiurge off midsentence.

"I sacrifice 100 souls for your services, protect me!"

Demiurge grimaced, and shoved his claws completely through Azazel's arm causing him to scream in pain

"You dare insult my masters? Do you think a vassal to the Master of the Supreme Beings can be bought with any amount of lives?"

Demiurge's tone was low, but his eyes burned with an intense rage. Azazel remained silent, only letting himself smile when he felt the presence he was waiting for.

Demiurge's eyes widened, as he realized what Azazel's true intentions were. Demiurge turned around only to be met with a large hand.

Out of thin air, Sorviez had appeared and swatted Demiurge away with the back of his palm. Demiurge was sent flying through the forest in the same fashion that Azazel had a few moments ago. Next, Sorviez threw a punch at Wrath.

From where Azazel was standing it looked ridiculous. Even with his size Sorviez could not possibly land a hit on Wrath who had backed away a good distance, but Sorviez defied those expectations. In the instant that it seemed his punch had reached the limit of where it could reach, Sorviez's arm stretched out like rubber. His punch only grazed Wrath, but the force had been strong enough to rip Wrath away from Azazel.

As Azazel's body went into freefall he shouted at Sorviez,

"The Chalice! Quick, give it to me."

Without saying a word, Sorviez grabbed the chalice which was now lying in the grass where Demiurge once stood. Sorviez brought it to Azazel's lips, and Azazel quickly sucked the liquid in.

The stiffness in Azazel's body rapidly wore off, as the holes in his body closed themselves, and his scales grew back over the exposed flesh. Azazel felt his energy coming back to him all at once, it was similar to the feeling of an adrenaline rush.

Upon recovering from the torturous experience he'd been put through, Azazel put the Chalice in his inventory, and transformed Mjolnir once again. The metallic sword in his hand began to emit a bright white light as it changed form. The blade of the sword elongated into a long rope, and the hilt more or less maintained its shape, save for the disappearance of the handguard. In Azazel's hands was a whip of holy light.

Azazel spoke a command to Sorviez before closing his eyes.

"Sorviez, Capture Wrath. If it isn't unconscious then I want it restrained. But don't kill it."

Sorviez disappeared from view, upon hearing Azazel's order.

Azazel kept his eyes closed, as he slowed his breathing. He brought his breathing into an even, rhythmic pace in an effort to calm down his still thundering heart. As his heartbeat calmed, Azazel opened his eyes. Azazel was no longer seeing things the way he normally did. Azazel saw the world in shades of blue, yellow, green, and red. He perceived the world with heat.

This was a racial skill that all Dragons possessed, but they varied in effectiveness depending on the character's build. While Azazel's build was not optimized to make use of this skill it was still effective enough. Azazel pinpointed Demiurge's heat signal and he burst into a sprint, or at least the equivalent to one when flying. Azazel closed his eyes, deactivating the skill.

Azazel was now eight steps away from Demiurge, or two seconds of flight. From the looks of things, Demiurge had concluded escape was the best option, and was now doing his best to make it out of the forest. He was close, Azazel could actually see the exit ahead. If Azazel was just a little late, or if Sorviez had launched him just a little bit further. He might have been long gone now, but none of that happened. Fate was on Azazel's side.

This was the thought in Azazel's head as he swung the whip at Demiurge's leg. Upon contact, the mass of light coiled around Demiurge's leg, causing him to hiss in pain as steam formed at his feet from the burning. Not missing a beat, Azazel pressed his attack.

"[Weapon Skill-Chains of Judecca]"

The whip continued to coil around Demiurge's body. It spread over him, and wrapped tightly around his body. But as the spell was about to burst apart due to Demiurge's high-level anti-bind item. Azazel used another skill to ensure Demiurge's capture.

[Mjolnir Skill-Boost]

The whips shone even brighter as their effects were enhanced by the World Item. Demiurge squirmed around within the white rope of light. As he writhed in pain the amount of steam produced by the contact of his demonic skin and holy light intensified until the area was covered in steam.

Satisfied with the capture, Azazel lifted his right hand and activated [Shooting Star]. Several magic circles formed around Azazel's feet. They intertwined and created one giant magic circle. Sensing that the magic was ready to cast, Azazel made his wish.

"Transfer Demiurge's loyalty to me!"

Upon seeing the ring, Demiurge's thrashing grew threefold. A clear expression of panic plastered on his face. It was only natural, after all there was no greater shame to a creation than to go against its creator's wishes. If the wish came to be, Demiurge would be committing the worst mistake a guardian could make.

The cold and calculating Demiurge was gone, and in his place, was a loyal servant desperately trying not to fail his master. As he heard Azazel start to speak, he struggled even more. But his struggles were in vain, the magic was cast and a wave of light passed over Demiurge.

When the light had cleared, A bowing Demiurge was revealed.

"I, Demiurge, bow before the one lord..."

Demiurge paused for the smallest instant as if remembering something. While a normal human would not have picked up on this, Azazel's keen eyesight had allowed him to sense Demiurge's hesitation, and so his heart skipped a beat as doubts about the spell began swirling around in his head.

"The Great Dragon, Azazel-sama. My body and soul are yours."

Azazel smiled, the words Demiurge had just spoken were like the indication that his plan had worked.

"Good, now my first order for you is to tell me how Wrath's paralysis took effect on me."

"Azazel-sama, Wrath has a special skill that allows him to use a paralysis poison that is capable of restraining even level 100 players. However, for it to work he has to have penetrated their skin with all of his claws."

 _"Hmmm, I never saw that information on any of the forums. Perhaps it never had a chance to use it..."_

"I see. Now then, tell me what orders Ainz gave you regarding me... Oh, and stand up so you can answer me."

"Understood."

Demiurge stood in compliance with Azazel's order.

"I was ordered to destroy your relations with the Slane Theocracy, and once you were isolated. I was to destroy you."

Azazel raised his non-existent eyebrow

"Destroy me? Alone?"

"No, he told me to bring Cocytus and Shalltear with me."

"Oh, I see... Well then. Here are your new orders."

Azazel removed the [Shooting Star] ring from his own hand and placed it in Demiurge's hands, whose eyes widened in a mixture of shock, and bliss.

"Use this to bring Cocytus under my wing. Under no circumstances are you to be caught, if you are compromised I want you to use the ring to come back to me. Once you are done with Cocytus, I want you to make preparations to take another guardian. I shall inform you of the next target at a later date, but I will say that it cannot be Shalltear. Even Super-Tier Magic won't work on the undead's absolute resistance to mind-control."

Demiurge nodded

"Might I inquire about our method of communicaton?"

"Hmmm, do you have any suggestions?"

"I can give Azazel-sama my spare [Ring of Message]."

Azazel grunted in the affirmative.

"That would be useful... Yes, please do."

Demiurge once again assumed a bowing position, after handing Azazel the ring.

"Azazel-sama, I cannot express enough how happy it makes me to have received the gift of this ring from the most exalted of beings himself."

A little taken aback at Demiurge's enthusiasm, Azazel stuttered in reply.

"I-I see..."

 _"Is this what Ainz has to deal with all the time? It's nice to be revered, but this is a little... much."_

"I shall now finish this task with utmost haste, I promise I will accomplish it perfectly."

"I'm glad to hear that, but before you go. I need you to make sure that Evil Lord Wrath knows who to obey."

A flash of annoyance creased Demiurge's face.

"But of course, I shall teach that creature his place."

Azazel simply nodded in response.

"I'll leave you to it... Oh, and before I forget. Here you go."

Azazel returned the Bowl of Hygieia to Demiurge, who accepted it with a bow.

As soon as Demiurge disappeared, Azazel let loose with his bottled emotions.

"FUCKKKK!"

Azazel punched a nearby tree, sending its upper half flying and nearly ripping the lower half from its roots.

Moments later, the emotion suppressant came over him but it did little to ease the annoyance he felt at himself.

"I hold myself in the same regard as the World Champion himself, Touch Me. Yet, I lost to Demiurge! …If it weren't for Sorviez I would have met my end here, along with my ambitions. Fuck, I got overconfident..."

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Azazel went over to where Sorviez was.

Azazel saw Sorviez restraining a struggling Wrath with one hand. Azazel affixed the Demon with a cold glare. It showed resistance at first, as well as clear contempt. But after a while it suddenly stopped thrashing, and laid still. Sensing that Demiurge had given the demon a mental command, Azazel ordered Sorviez to let him go.

"Sorviez, I want you to standby here, and wait for orders. Make sure you stay hidden and unnoticed. Take Wrath with you."

Sorviez grunted before disappearing from Azazel's sight. After Sorviez disappeared along with Wrath, Azazel transformed himself back into a human. His body shrunk, his scales turned into skin, and his tails and wings disappeared into himself.

Upon completing his transformation, a wave of fatigue suddenly hit Azazel. His knees buckled under his weight, his heart literally stopped for a second, and his vision darkened as he fell to the ground face first. The last thing he felt was the weak presence of two creatures entering the forest.

* * *

Ainz paced back and forth in his office at E-Rantel, as he awaited Demiurge's return. The floorboards shook with each of his heavy steps, and along with them his personal maid and the Eight Edge Assassins shook as well. This was the first time that they had witnessed their master in such an agitated state, and when they thought of what situation could have possibly put such a terrible mood on their normally benevolent ruler, they could not help but shake in fear.

Ainz, who was too anxious to take notice of his quivering vassals, was drowning in a current of thoughts. Ainz was just peacefully whittling down his mountain of paperwork when he had received an agitated message from Demiurge. Ainz's anxiety doubled when he thought of how uneasy Demiurge's voice sounded. "I have been trapped, and attacked by a dragonoid player." He had said.

 _"Two players?! Could the human have been a trap? Are they in cahoots? Are they the ones that attacked Shalltear? If so then are they part of a larger group or is it just the two of them? Or are they two completely unrelated players who just happened to show up at the same time? Or maybe they're the same person? Oh, why did I let my guard down?! If Demiurge is killed or captured then it will have been my fault!"_

Ainz's anxiety was suddenly suppressed by the mysterious force that removed his human emotions, but his anxiety instantly rose back up no matter how many times it was suppressed. He was now in an emotional state similar to when his super-tier magic had not worked on Shalltear. Ainz kept pacing, and he would probably have broken through the floorboards, and fallen down a floor if a nervous maid's voice had not brought him out of his thoughts.

"A-A-Ainz-sama, Demiurge has arrived and wishes to enter."

Upon hearing Demiurge's name, Ainz quickly turned to the door, marched over to it, opened a [Gate] and the door, then dragged Demiurge through it.

The last thing Ainz heard before the scenery changed was the sounds of protest that his maid, Fifth, had made.

Ainz and Demiurge were now in Nazarick, at the throne room. After closing the [Gate] behind him, Ainz turned to Demiurge, who was now down on one knee.

"Report. I want a full report. Now."

"Understood, I was attacked by a player who was of the Dragonoid race. After being attacked, I tried to fight at first, but upon realizing the disparity in our combat abilities. I decided to bait him into a trap meant to immobilize him for a moment. My trap succeeded, and I used that opportunity to escape."

"How did he get close to you in the first place?"

"He used an item that switched my location with that of my summoned hellhound's"

Ainz's eyes widened at Demiurge's explanation, or rather the points of red in his eye sockets grew brighter. His brain went into overdrive trying to analyze the situation and divine the best course of action for the Sorcerer Kingdom to take.

 _"Item that switches the summoner's location with the summoned creature... I've heard of this before, If I remember right it was the 'Bane of Summoner'? 'Summoner's Bane'? Something like that. But more importantly, a particularly popular guild used it a lot, but I can't remember their name. That guild supposedly died shortly after our guild was established. I wonder if this guy is from that guild."_

"Ainz-sama? I have finished my report."

Demiurge's cool voice sailed into Ainz's ears, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"A-Ah right. Forgive me I was lost in my thoughts."

Demiurge simply bowed in response, puzzling Ainz a little.

 _"Wouldn't he usually say something along the lines of 'I'm sorry for disturbing your thoughts?"_

Raising his head, Demiurge spoke again.

"What shall we do Ainz-sama?"

Ainz pushed his confusion about Demiurge away as he struggled to think of the right order to give.

"Umu, first we need to find information. Place Azazel under strict surveillance. We need to find out if there's a connection between him and your assailant. But be careful about summoned creatures, we don't want him catching you again. I will give you full discretion over what forces from Nazarick to use. You can even call on the guardians as long as they aren't busy accomplishing my orders."

Demiurge's smile grew wider, as he listened to Ainz. Ainz felt uneasiness wash over him as he looked at Demiurge, but it was soon dispelled when Ainz's emotion passive activated.

 _"What is this feeling? Somehow, something's not right."_

"Now then, Ainz-sama I shall make the necessary preparations to accomplish your order."

Demiurge's voice once again drew Ainz's attention away from his lingering anxiety. Ainz gave Demiurge a small nod to dismiss him. Demiurge disappeared from Ainz's view, leaving him to wonder why he still felt uneasy.

Deciding to bury his unease in paperwork once more, Ainz used [Gate] to go back to his office in E-Rantel. Upon stepping back into the familiar room, Ainz was met with several bowing figures.

The maid, who looked the most distressed, spoke first.

"Ainz-sama! As your personal attendant it is unacceptable of me to have been unable to follow you. Please allow me to pay for my mistakes, please punish me!"

Following her, an Eight Edge Assassin spoke in an equally distressed tone.

"We are your bodyguards, and unless it is ordered by Ainz-sama himself, we can't be allowed to leave you unguarded. Please allow us to pay with our lives!"

The third bowing figure, Albedo, spoke last.

"Ainz-sama, as the guardian overseer I am ashamed to have assigned these failures to attend to you. Please just give me the word, and I'll have them executed for their mistakes."

Ainz winced as he was barraged with his distraught subordinates apologies.

"Albedo, there is no need to go so far. I was simply flustered, and went away without so much as a word to the ones assigned to me. The fault lies with me."

Ainz turned to Fifth, and the Eight Edge Assassin.

"Neither of you are at fault, remember that."

"Bu-"

"Bu-"

"Bu-"

Ainz raised his hand, cutting of their protests.

"We will speak of this no longer. There are other more important things to attend to."

The maid stood up, and went back to her post wordlessly. Her mouth was set in a hard line, clearly showing her disapproval of being allowed to go unpunished, but she said nothing. Similarly, the Eight Edge Assassin turned invisible once again and returned to its spot on the wall.

Ainz returned to his seat, and immersed himself in the remaining paperwork. Meanwhile Albedo stared at her master with an admiring shine in her eyes, and a faint pink coloring her cheeks.

 _"To claim responsibility for the mistakes of his servants... What a compassionate master! Ohhhh, Ain-, No... Momonga-sama! You are so wonderful. Truly we are all unworthy to serve such a wonderful being. To think I was ordered to love such a wonderful man, Ahhhh!"_

Albedo rubbed her thighs together, as she shuddered in delight. Her breathing grew erratic as she muttered Ainz's name to herself. This scene caused the Eight Edge Assassins to tense up as if preparing for a fight. Noticing this, Ainz threw himself further into the paperwork in an effort to burn the image out of his mind.

"Tabula Smaragdina-san... I know I've said this before but I really am so sorry. I never should have messed with your settings, I am so, so, so sorry."

Ainz mindlessly did his paperwork as he kept apologizing to Tabula in his head.

* * *

Demiurge calmly walked through the icy cold air of the fifth floor, as he made his way to his target. The target in question was the large blue insectoid swinging his halberd in the middle of this icy wasteland. The cold air hit Demiurge hard, as each of Cocytus's swings created large waves of air. Demiurge mentally turned his nose up at the sight, as he had always believed that the way Cocytus was made was inferior to himself.

 _"Dull, knows nothing aside from warrior techniques, he's just a simple-minded oaf. If it weren't for my former allegiance to the Supreme Beings of this place, I would have never considered him to be a creature that stood on the same level as me. Nevertheless, my relationship with him will now be of use to me in accomplishing Azazel-sama's orders."_

Demiurge stopped at the edge of the ring in which Cocytus practiced. Noticing him, Cocytus reverted to a standing state, and turned to face Demiurge. Cold air sprayed from his mouth as he spoke.

"Demiurge. What. Brings. You. Here?"

Demiurge shrug his shoulders as he replied.

"Ara, is it not acceptable to be here simply to watch a friend hone his skills."

"It. Is. But. I. Know. You. Demiurge... You. Would. Never. Visit. For. Such. A. Reason."

Demiurge smiled at the insect.

"Yes, that's correct. I am here on Ainz-sama's orders."

Cocytus' attention was now completely on Demiurge. Cocytus was a loyal vassal, and he would not speak out to his master, but if he was being honest, he had wanted to receive an assignment for a while now. The sting of his past failure with the Lizardmen lingered even to this date. Although everything had worked out, and they were now under him as members of Nazarick, he still felt that his initial failure was an unsightly blemish on his pride title of Floor Guardian.

Knowing this, Demiurge had baited him with what was both the truth, and a lie. Demiurge chuckled internally as he watched Cocytus get ensnared in his trap like a mouse that was unsuspectingly heading towards the jaws of a cat.

 _"Too easy. He's too easy."_

Demiurge mused to himself, as he continued weaving his web of lies around Cocytus.

"An unknown creature from our old world attacked me during one of my missions. Ainz-sama has decided to dispatch both you and I to eliminate him."

Cocytus' eyes gleamed with the light of hope and anticipation. It was likely that he, as a warrior, was looking forward to once again matching blades with an opponent of his caliber or higher. Demiurge, who caught that gleam, almost laughed out loud.

 _"What a battle maniac... Well, I've got him hooked, time to reel him in."_

"Ainz-sama's plan is... a bit unconventional. Are you sure you're up to the task, Cocytus?"

Cocytus sprayed cold air from his mouth, as he reared back his head.

"Demiurge. As. A. Fellow. Guardian. You. Should. Know. The. Answer. To. That."

Demiurge let out an exaggerated sigh. Cocytus, who was completely taken aback by Demiurge's show of weakness, unconsciously took a step backwards.

Seeing this, Demiurge took that opportunity to continue.

"Honestly, Cocytus... Even I would be reluctant to follow through with Ainz-sama's orders this time around."

Cocytus gasped, spraying more cold air around his face. Though it was hard to tell, given that Cocytus had the face of an insect, Demiurge could sense that he was looking at him with annoyance. Proving Demiurge's suspicions, Cocytus slammed his halberd into the ground. While it was impossible, Demiurge felt like the spot where Cocytus' halberd had smashed into grew another layer of ice over it's already frozen surface.

"Demiurge. What. Blasphemy. Are. You. Spouting? As. Creations. It. Should. Be. Our. Utmost. Joy. To. Fulfill. Any. Orders. Ainz-sama. Gives. Us!"

Despite what he said, what Cocytus really wanted to say was 'What kind of assignment could do that to you?'. Cocytus trusted Demiurge implicitly, so Demiurge's reluctance unsettled Cocytus. However, he still had his position as a Floor Guardian to think about. Therefore, such thoughts should never be allowed to surface, even if they were the truth.

Demiurge lowered his head to Cocytus and he squeezed out the next words.

"Ainz-sama wants you to pretend to betray him by swearing allegiance to my assailant. From there, the plan is to lure him into a trap, and subsequently eliminate him."

The looming sense of dread that Cocytus felt ever since Demiurge showed hesitance finally came down on Cocytus as he heard those words. Despite his supposed immunity to ice-based attacks, Cocytus shivered as a cold breeze swept over him. Cocytus' next words were spoken in a somber tone, it was not a voice that fit a warrior of his caliber.

"I... See..."

Demiurge stood silently before Cocytus, who remained frozen in place. While he would have liked to move on with his plan, he still had to give his words the necessary time to sink in.

"Well. If. It. Is. Ainz-sama's. Will. Then. I. Must. Simply. Accept. It."

Shortly after Cocytus announced his acceptance, Demiurge moved in with the 'killing blow'.

"Ainz-sama lent me an item to ease your qualms about this assignment."

"Really?!"

Demiurge smiled, upon seeing Cocytus' explosive reaction. He withdrew the [Shooting Star] ring from thin air.

"Ainz-sama told me to use this ring to make your loyalty to the intruder real. This is so that he will not see through your act, and at the same time you won't have to experience the dreadful act of betraying your master, even if it is just temporary."

"Ohhhh! I. See. How. Wonderful. As. Expected. Of. Ainz-sama. He. Had. Already. Considered. My. Feelings. About. The. Task. In. His. Plan."

"That's right Cocytus. Now then, shall I make the wish?"

Cocytus' mandibles shook in hesitance.

"Though. I. Still. Would. Prefer. Not. To. Do. This. Task. I. Would. Rather. Suffer. Through. This. Pain. Than. Disobey. Ainz-sama. That. Being. Said. The. Option. To. Both. Obey. Ainz-sama. And. Lose. This. Pain. Is. Very. Appealing... Do. It. Demiurge."

Demiurge bowed to his insectoid 'friend'

'Your loyalty and determination is admirable, Cocytus. I shall now grant your wish."

Demiurge put the ring on his finger, and activated the spell. Though the blue magic circles were difficult to spot in the icy terrain, they still encompassed both Demiurge and Cocytus. A bright light shone from the ring and hit Cocytus, as Demiurge spoke his wish.

"Transfer Cocytus' loyalty to Azazel-sama!"

The last thought that went through Cocytus' head before he ceased being Cocytus was,

"Sama?"

* * *

When Azazel came to, he was lying down comfortably on a bed, wearing nothing but his pants, and the bandages that were wrapped around his chest. He seemed to be in a room of some sorts, but the bed he was lying on and the array of weapons and armor that lay atop a row of tables nearby did not match at all. Azazel sat up from the bed, and attempted to get off.

When suddenly he felt two dainty hands wrap around his exposed chest. A shiver ran through his body, when he felt two familiar lumps press against his back. Azazel froze in place, as he heard a familiar voice whisper into his ear.

"You finally woke up, huh. I've been waiting for ages, you're a heavy sleeper aren't you?"

Azazel's face turned a bright red as he felt the hands travelling further down his body. He gripped both of the hands before they could travel any lower than his abdomen, earning him a chuckle from the other side.

"Ze-Zesshi-san?"

"Yes?~"

Zesshi's voice was full of mischief, and seemed to tease Azazel with every letter. Azazel sighed internally.

 _"Can't she give me a break? I just woke up! ...She makes me feel too much emotion, and I thought I was supposed to be immune to emotion. It seemed that way when I was talking to the council. I guess I misunderstood, my human form might not have the same ability that my dragon form does."_

Azazel turned to face a fully dressed Zesshi (Thankfully). She was kneeling down on the other side of the bed that he had been sleeping in not too long ago. The first thing he noticed were Zesshi's ears which she was no longer hiding beneath her hair. Paying that detail no heed for the time being, Azazel questioned Zesshi.

"How long where you beside me?"

Zesshi stayed silent, and replied with a simple smile and tilt of her head, as if to say "What are you talking about?"

After receiving no answer, Azazel changed his question.

"How long was I out?"

The reply came quickly this time, in stark contrast to the absence of a reply that was given to his earlier question.

"Almost a day."

Azazel buried his face in his palm. While he did not believe that Demiurge would be caught easily, he still didn't like making his stay in Nazarick longer than it had to be. The longer they took, the larger the risk of getting caught. Azazel resolved to get the negotiations done quickly, so he could get Demiurge out of Nazarick.

Lifting his head from his palm, a realization suddenly dawned on Azazel.

 _"Why did I get wounded after transforming back to a human?"_

Azazel unconsciously clutched the bandages that were wrapped around his chest as his mind raced to find an answer. In the end he settled on the explanation that this was just another of the many discrepancies between YGGDRASIL and this world.

Azazel was suddenly dragged out from his thoughts when Zesshi suddenly pounced on him. In an instant his hands were pinned to the back of the bed, and Zesshi's body was on top of him. She whispered into his ear in a soft tone.

"Now that we're alone, and not in the middle of a battlefield. Why don't you give me your answer to my proposal? Az-a-ze-l-kun~"

She followed up by biting his earlobe lightly, and slowly bringing her head down his body. Azazel was no longer thinking as his breathing grew heavy. If one were to attempt to describe the state of his mind with an image, it would have been described as a bright light.

Zesshi's advances were halted when the doors to the room suddenly shot open. Zesshi let out a "che" as she moved to get off Azazel. The ones who had opened the door either let out soft sighs of exasperation or nodded approvingly. Standing at the room's entrance was the Slane Theocracy's Supreme Council. Half of them thought that it was unbecoming of the Slane Theocracy's trump card to so shamefully chase after a man, while the other half felt that tying Azazel to the Slane Theocracy with Zesshi, and a possible child between the two powerful individuals would bring them many benefits.

Azazel whose thinking had come back a little resisted the intense desire to transform into his dragon mode, so that he could get rid of the annoying beating of his heart, and erratic breathing.

 _"Arghhhh, how much of a seductress can this woman be? Her advances are getting bolder and bolder... Though she was bold to begin with."_

Azazel attempted to compose himself as he put on his human clothing to prepare for his meeting with the Supreme Council. As he did so he kept a wary eye on Zesshi, who was giving him a toothy smile.

After he got dressed, he walked over to the front of the room, where the supreme council was standing in a row. Sensing that he was going to be questioned, Azazel stopped a few feet away from them. Raymond, the Cardinal of Earth, stepped forward. He kept his gaze on Azazel for a while before finally speaking.

"While we are grateful that you helped us eradicate both the fighting force and the monarch of the Elven Kingdom, we still require an explanation on the disappearance of our troops that were stationed at the forward base before we can fulfill our agreement."

As Raymond spoke, Azazel was met with several kinds of gazes. Some of them stared at him in a questioning manner, others were suspicious, and some were angry. Azazel asked the council members a question before answering their question, causing some of them to shake their head disapprovingly.

"How much do you people know of the forces of Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Sour looks were born on each of the councilmen's faces, prompting Azazel to think,

 _"I must have pushed a button..."_

It was the Pontifex Maximus who stepped forward to answer Azazel's question.

"Other than Momon the Dark Hero, we have no information on the strength of the Sorcerer King's subordinates."

 _"This will be a shock to you then"_

Azazel mused, before breaking the spirits of every man in the council,

"To my knowledge there are seven creatures that are on the same level of strength as the Sorcerer King. Momon the Dark Hero is not one of the people I know."

The shadow of despair fell on the faces of the councilmen, even Raymond who had once been a member of the black-ops unit known as the Black Scripture couldn't help but gawk at Azazel who had given them the worst possible news.

Several murmurs of despair broke out from the councilmen,

"There's no hope." "Even with the GodKin, we'd have no chance." "This should not be happening; those creatures shouldn't exist in this world." "It's like we're fighting against the Six Great Gods themselves."

Amidst all this despair one man remained calm. His mouth set in a hard line, he spoke loudly. His voice reverberated throughout the whole room, grabbing the attention of everyone in it.

"Azazel-san, you still haven't answered our question."

Azazel smiled at Ginedine, his respect for the shriveled old man rising due to his keen intellect and strength of heart. Not many people can remain calm and analyze a situation while staring despair in the face. Most would wallow in their despair.

"My apologies, I simply needed to illustrate the strength of the Sorcerer King, so that my next words might gain some merit."

The councilmen nodded at him, signaling that he should continue.

"It seems that the Sorcerer King spied on our meeting, and sent one of his subordinates in an attempt to ruin the relationship between us."

Several gasps escaped the mouths of the councilmen, but once again Ginedine remained firm.

"So, then that subordinate destroyed our forces I take it?"

Azazel nodded.

Grim looks formed on each of the councilmen's faces, particularly on Raymond's, who had now lost two of the Scriptures to Ainz Ooal Gown. With anger in his eyes, he stepped forward and asked Azazel a question.

"What did you do about it? Or rather, what were you able to do about it?"

To this Azazel smiled, as he felt that his next words would lighten the moods of the councilmen, thus making him look like a beacon of hope to them.

"I used one of my magic items to place him under my control. He is now at the main base of the Sorcerer King using that same item to place another one of the Sorcerer King's subordinates under his control."

All the councilmen were now looking at Azazel with awe evident in their eyes. It was only natural, anybody would be in awe at the person who gave them some light amidst the darkness.

It was only Ginedine who had anything to say to Azazel that wasn't praise.

"Doesn't that carry the risk of that subordinate's treachery being exposed?"

"As expected of you Ginedine-san, indeed that is true. Which is why I'd like to know the exact fighting strength of the Slane Theocracy now. So, I can give my pawn his third target, and subsequently extract him from the area."

The councilmen took turns looking at each other before nodding at the Pontifex Maximus,

The Pontifex Maximus nodded at them in reply and stepped forward. Fixing his gaze on Azazel he spoke.

"First off is Downfall of Castle and Country-"

The Pontifex Maximus went on to explain the effects of the National Treasure that their Gods had granted them, but Azazel was no longer listening. It was like time stopped for him when he heard the words, "Downfall of Castle and Country"

Azazel unconsciously shivered as he realized just how lucky he was to have partnered with the Slane Theocracy.

 **Author's Note: There's the fourth chapter. This one took quite a lot longer to finish than the last three, but there are good reasons for that.**

 **First off, our house helper got sick and so my list of chores got longer by quite a bit. Secondly, I myself got sick a few days ago. In fact I am still sick as I am writing this A/N but I wanted to get this chapter out so I wrote anyway despite how terrible I feel. I won't be working on the next chapter until I'm no longer sick, so the next one will probably also take a while. But the ones after that will probably be back to normal.**


	5. UPDATE( on why I haven't been posting )

A/N:

Hey everybody author-san here. I just wanted to give a little update on why I haven't been uploading for a while. There are a multitude of reasons for this... and I will now enumerate them in bullet-point fashion:

I broke my nose and was hospitalized for a few days and ten there was surgery(this incident kinda took my mind away from writing and I forgot about this for a while)

Overlord Volume 12 came out and I subsequently got hooked to a bunch of different LN's and WN's so I went on a binge-reading spree in which every piece of free-time I had was dedicated to reading.

I went to Japan for 2 weeks

I think this is the biggest reason for my absence but basically I got demotivated from writing the story due to me getting a lot of shit for my character being OP and other events in the story. Honestly though I can't understand some of the complaints. I realize that Demiurge would never willingly 1v1 a player which is why I did my best to write a situation where he had to fight. ( teleportation was blocked and he was summoned to MC) and even then the first thing he did was make an escape attempt. Also i realize that Albedo would have found out, but if you read the same LN I did then you would know that Albedo can only do that by checking that weird menu thing at the throne room. And she only found out about the Shalltear thing because they lost communication with her during a mission. So, it's not like Albedo's gonna instantly find out. However, Albedo is pretty meticulous which is why in the very next chapter(Spoiler alert? Maybe?) I had already planned to expose Demiurge. Another thing people brought up was the impossibility of my guy one shotting a lvl 80. Let me just remind everyone that Ulbert did the same thing to several high-tier level 80's in the prologue chapters with that grand catastrophe spell of his. If a spell can do that then why can't a world item do the same?(My MC used a world item to achieve that effect) Although I do understand now the OP-ness of my character. I realized too late that one weakness does not a balanced character make. And he isn't very likeable as an MC atm. Maybe some people would have been interested in seeing him for a possible development in the future turning him into a better character, but I will admit I did not think that deeply into it. I have some confidence in my actual writing, but the characters I make... not so much. But hey you learn how to write by writing so I'll know better next time I try something

But anyway I digress. Now that I've had a sufficient break from writing I might start writing again. But I'm not really sure if anyone aside from the 20- something people following the story still. I realize that authors for the most part should be writing for themselves but at this point I don't even feel like doing that anymore. My only motivation to write would be if people wanted it. I've completey lost interest in the story. That wouldn't affect my writing though because I've already had the whole story mapped out in my notes so all that's left to do is actually write it which is a thing I can do well even if i did not like the story I was writing. I guess I'll look over the responses to this and decide from there whether to continue this fic or not.


	6. First Encounter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord**

 **A/N: I received more support to continue this fic than I initially thought I would so... Here I am continuing it. Keep in mind that half of this chapter was written all the way back in like late September, and the other half was written mid-December. So, please tell me if there are any disparities in the writing style that is easily noticed. Also, I haven't written in a few months so I may be a little rusty. I've never been the most accurate self-judge though( I either overestimate or underestimate myself) so just tell me in the reviews if I am.**

 **Nazarick, 3rd Floor:**

Shalltear hummed happily as she strolled behind her fellow guardians with gleeful abandon. To accompany her elated disposition was a slight red tinging her deathly pale cheeks, if one were to look at her visage they would see joy incarnate. Her vampiric ancestry made it all the more difficult to accept the dewy look in her generally bloodthirsty eyes. Her red pupils shone like twinkling stars. Truly Shalltear had turned into a beacon of joy,and this beacon of joy, who was practically skipping along as she walked, suddenly ground to a halt.

The reason for this abrupt pause was the fact that four pairs of eyes now had their gaze on her, three of which belonged to the same person. Shalltear's overflowing joy was momentarily set aside by her confusion.

"What is it? Cocytus? Demiurge?"

Neither party answered her question, causing Shalltear to grow suspicious. The air between them suddenly grew tense. Anyone who witnessed this three-way stare down would have surely felt like the air around them was condensing.

It was Demiurge who cut through this tension.

"It was nothing... I was simply wondering why Ainz-sama decided to give someone who is so easily distracted by her joy the role of leader for such an important mission."

A smile crept on Shalltear's features as she heard Demiurge's words. A feeling of superiority settled in her heart as she mused to herself.

 _"My exploits in the Dwarven Kingdom were not for naught after all. Ainz-sama has regained enough trust in me to put me in charge of Demiurge and Cocytus, and on an important mission too. Ahhhhh! I'm so happy I could burst."_

Drawing on her feeling of superiority, Shalltear shot Demiurge a wide, almost mocking, grin.

"Don't be so selfish Demiurge. Until recently you've been the one going all over the place completing all sorts of orders for Ainz-sama. This time it is simply my turn."

A bitter smile formed on Demiurge's face as he turned around and resumed walking,Cocytus followed after him.

Shalltear reverted back to her joy filled self as she trailed behind. Though this time her joy was accompanied with her quiet muttering.

"Ahhh, I'm so happy. If only I could have heard this command from Ainz-sama himself... Oh well, it can't be helped this is an urgent mission after all~"

The giggling Shalltear was a sight to behold for the residents of the 3rd Floor. The servants of Nazarick,particularly the denizens of the 1st through 3rd floors, knew their master as a sadistic, cruel woman, whose mood was as fickle as a flower. One moment she could appear calm as a lake, the next she would be tearing a Vampire Bride in half with a frown on her face.

So, needless to say almost all the NPC's the trio of guardians passed would gawk at the sight of Shalltear. They could not believe that the gleeful, almost childlike woman they were looking at was really their master.

In all of Nazarick, there was only one person who could make one of the floor guardians this happy, that was their absolute ruler, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama. As they realized this, small fires of jealousy lit up in the eyes of the previously gawking vassals. But they quickly suppressed it for fear of angering the target of their jealousy.

This same exact treatment was given to Shalltear as they walked through the first three floors of Nazarick. However, Shalltear's joy remained untouched and she went through the whole thing in a dreamlike state, as she slowly shambled after Cocytus and Demiurge. Demiurge however now had a frown adorning his face. But Shalltear was too full of euphoria to pay attention to him.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Demiurge called out to Shalltear.

"Shalltear, get a hold of yourself! We have an urgent mission, hurry up!"

Demiurge's voice cut through the cold, crisp air outside Nazarick and reached Shalltear. Upon hearing Demiurge, Shalltear seemed to snap out of her trance.

"Ara? We're outside Nazarick already... I didn't even notice."

After a momentary shock, Shalltear's face turned impassive.

"Right, of course. My apologies, it seems I got caught up in my emotions."

Demiurge simply nodded in response.

Shalltear took a few deep breaths, to fully calm herself down, then began heading towards Demiurge. She looked around for Cocytus but found that he strangely wasn't anywhere within her vision and was hiding his presence.

 _"What's he doing... ?"_

Shalltear made to turn around, but Demiurge suddenly made a sharp movement and drew Shalltear's attention back to him. She saw him leaping to the side as if clearing the path for something. Confusion filled Shalltear's head as she struggled to grasp what Demiurge was trying to do. And in the instant that Demiurge's feet alighted on the ground after his leap to the side, Shalltear stopped thinking about it.

This was because Cocytus' presence had returned directly behind her. Before she could fully register that he had reappeared Cocytus surged forward like a massive wave and hit Shalltear's exposed back with one of his strongest offensive skills,[Immovable Wisdom King Strike].

Cocytus' large blue fist drove into Shalltear's unguarded back, prompting a scream of pain and surprise from Shalltear. Flecks of saliva shot out of her mouth as her bones broke, and her body was wracked with pain. Her petite body was sent flying out Nazarick. Her body tumbled over and bounced several times untill she was a good distance away from Nazarick. Shalltear painted the blades of grass beneath her with the crimson shine of blood. She gritted and gnashed her teeth as she struggled to get onto her feet, despite the intense pain that threatened to consume her.

A million thoughts were racing through her head, but her head was pounding too hard for her to make sense of any of it, she felt like she could hear her beloved master's voice yet her ears rang too much for her to listen to his voice. She gulped in large swaths of air in an effort to calm her breathing, and as she managed to get one trembling knee up to support herself. She felt a leathery, gloved hand place itself on her shoulder. Accompanying it was a sudden breeze of cold air, Shalltear should have been resistant to cold effects. But she felt the sting of the cold anyway, and in the next moment her world changed.

Her eyes widened as she noticed that beneath her feet was not the grass and soil of the plains where Nazarick lay, but instead the grass and dirt of a forest. The vast sky that so openly hung over her was now replaced by a forest's canopy. Rays of sunlight broke through a scant few openings in the ceiling of leaves, but it didn't bother Shalltear who, like many inhuman creatures, possessed Darkvision. Shalltear had regained enough strength to get up on her feet, albeit a little shakily. She forced her knees, which were still trembling from the aftereffects of Cocytus' strike, to support her body as she stood up straight to survey her surroundings.

 _"A forest? Wasn't I... at Nazarick?."_

Shalltear, who had forgotten for a moment what had happened in her shock, gasped as everything clicked into place for her. She leapt back, equipping her full gear mid jump. When she landed she was encased in crimson red armor, white wings sprung out of her back, and she was wielding her beloved Spuit Lance. Yet despite donning her gear, Shalltear did not feel strong.

 _"Damn it, Cocytus' [Immovable Wisdom King Strike]... I took that hit full on without any defensive skills or magic, I wasn't even wearing my armor. I'm lucky that my health wasn't halved... Well at least, now I can heal myself with [Time Reversal]."_

Shalltear narrowed her eyes at the two motionless beings in front of her, who had done nothing but watch her all this while. And in low menacing tones she spoke.

"Demiurge...Cocytus... What is the meaning of this. Have you betrayed our master, the supreme being who stayed behind? Have you betrayed Ainz-sama?"

Despite her predicament and obvious disadvantage, the killing intent Shalltear let off with every word she spoke was surprisingly potent. Even Demiurge, and Cocytus, beings who were supposed to be comparable to her were unsettled by the sheer killing intent that her child-like figure radiated.

However, they soon recovered their sense of calm after taking a good look at Shalltear. She was trying to hide it, but anyone would have been able to tell that she was badly hurt. It probably took all she had just to remain standing.

"That's right Shalltear, we serve a new master now. One truly well deserving of the title of 'Supreme'."

Demiurge's words brought up an insatiable fury inside Shalltear. Shalltear gripped the handle of the Spuit Lance with enough strength to crush the heads of ten men as she gnashed her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to attack the foolish heretics before her, but she knew that if she attacked them in her current state, she would have no hope of winning, however that was assuming she couldn't heal herself. As she thought about this, a sadistic smile grew on her face.

"Hey, Demiurge, Cocytus... Did you know? I can take on both of you at the same time and probably win."

A cold laugh sailed through the air between the guardians

"Shalltear, of course we know that. However, can you really do that in your current state? I realize you can heal with [Time Reversal], but that leaves you with only 2 uses of that skill left... can you really fight the two of us properly with one of your trump cards diminished?" Demiurge looked up, seemingly peering beyond the canopy that hung over them, a smug smile of satisfaction plastered on his face. "And besides, me and Cocytus aren't fighting you alone."

Shalltear grit her teeth in frustration and anger at Demiurge's nonchalance over their crime towards Ainz.

 _"This insolent bastard. I swear on Ainz-sama's name! I will make him pay for this transgression; how dare he bite the hand that fed him."_

As she felt a third presence of equal strength as the two before her, if not stronger, enter the vicinity. Shalltear crouched into a battle ready stance and prepared herself to fight.

 _"I could cast [Greater Lethal] for healing but that wouldn't work out very well. In this battle my victory will be decided by how much I can damage them before they kill me and activate my resurrection item. Starting out with full health would be smarter, and I should use Einjelhar."_

Shalltear activated [Time Reversal], and Einjelhar at the same time. Strength and vitality once again coursed through her body, healing her injuries and allowing her to stop her slight trembling and adopt the body tensity that she needed. A pure white copy of Shalltear shaped into existence beside her, and the two guardians merely smiled at her. Shalltear made an annoyed "tsk" sound. She didn't like this sense of dread that filled every corner of her heart. She felt like she was merely dancing on the palm of her enemies and she hated that feeling. Somehow despite her lack of experience with fighting enemies from Nazarick, Shalltear felt a sense of deja vu at her current predicament.

 _"Perhaps these are remnants of my memories from the time I pointed this weapon against my own master... Ah! That's right, Ainz-sama contacted me. Even if I lose here he'll definitely save me, just like he did back then... Actually, it doesn't even make sense that Demiurge and Cocytus would betray Ainz-sama like this. I've had my fair share of disagreements with them, but they're not the kind of fools to oppose the Supreme Beings like this. Which means..."_

Shalltear's expression darkened when she remembered why she was with Demiurge and Cocytus in the first place.

 _"Azazel, huh. So, he must have been the one who got me last time as well. This bastard... I'm going to bring his head to Ainz-sama if it's the last thing I do!"_

With an expression that could kill, Shalltear shot out at Demiurge like a speeding bullet. She felt Cocytus engage her Einjelhar behind her, but Demiurge remained unmoving.

 _"What the hell is he doing?!"_

Despite the impending threat of impalement, Demiurge merely stood there with a smile. This action filled Shalltear's heart with frustration and suspicion. Whether fortunately or not, her suspicions were soon answered when, just before her lance reached Demiurge, she was struck by something large and fast. Her body's forward momentum was completely cancelled out as she was sent flying. She landed on the ground with a loud thud after snapping a few trees in half.

She quickly cast [Negative Impact Shield] as she felt the foreign presence from earlier quickly close in on her. It stopped just outside of the range of her spell. And with her health partly revitalized from [Negative Impact Shield] she had recovered enough vitality to quickly jump back and place some distance between her and the unknown assailant. However, she quickly regretted this decision when upon trying to spot her assailant she was instead met with a giant cannon that seemed to be charging some sort of energy beam.

"Fuc-"

Shalltear barely had the time to curse in frustration before a blinding light erupted from the cannon and engulfed her. Shalltear let out guttural shrieks of pain as the condensed beam of explosion-type magic lit her senses on fire. Shalltear felt like every fiber of her being was getting torn apart as the light burned it's way through her body and armor. By the time the light dispersed, Shalltear could barely see what was in front of her.

She had not however entirely lost her ability to sense presence's and from what she could tell she was now surrounded on three sides by her assailant, Demiurge, and Cocytus which meant that Einjelhar was temporarily tied down. Straining her senses, Shalltear noticed a 4th presence that seemed to be keeping Einjelhar busy.

 _"Shit, the momentum of the battle is completely against me. I've lost all control of the flow..."_

As Shalltear desperately wracked her head trying to think of a good battle plan, her unknown assailant finally stepped out from the shadows where he was a few seconds ago. He was a large grey dragonoid, and in his burly hands was a sword gleaming with the shine of silver. As she got a closer look at him she realized that her assailant was the same person they were supposed to eliminate.

"Azazel..."

Shalltear let out a small gasp

"So, have you two betrayed Ainz-sama for the sake of this disgusting reptile? Demiurge..."

Shalltear turned her eyes to the right where Demiurge was stepping out from the bushery.

"Cocytus..."

She then turned them in the opposite direction where Cocytus emerged from. As she engaged her two former comrades in a mental stare-down, the third presence grew irritable.

"Shouldn't you keep your eyes on the enemy who actually hurt you?"

The cold voice shattered the silence and an equally chilling presence made all three NPC's shudder.

"Tch."

In a panic, Shalltear quickly turned her attention to Azazel. When she turned her gaze she saw a huge fist zooming towards her. It seemed to be a mere punch but Shalltear's instincts told her that with the current amount of health she had left, if she let that hit her directly she was going to die.

"[Force Sanctuary]."

A white barrier arose around Shalltear. Just before the fist hit it she saw the image of a giant roaring dragon superimposed over it.

 _"Seems my instincts were correct... Hmph, I'm going to show this bastard what happens when he underestimates Shalltear Bloodfallen."_

Azazel's expression was a mix of shock and intrigue when he realized that his attack had failed to break through the barrier.

 _"Hah! Of course your pathetic attack wouldn't break through. That was an absolute-defense spell."_

While she mocked him in her head, outwardly Shalltear seized the opening his shock gave her.

"[Force Explosion]."

Azazel drew a trail of smoke as his body was blown backwards by the spell. In that same instant, Demiurge and Cocytus approached Shalltear.

"[Wall of Stone]."

Using the stone that erupted from the ground as a stop-gap measure, Shalltear cast two offensive-spells back to back.

"[Vermillion Nova]!, [Brilliant Radiance]!"

Pillars of fire and light rose up from underneath Cocytus and Demiurge. As Cocytus was burned and Demiurge was purified, Shalltear flew out from her stone enclosure to find the dragonoid.

Upon leaving the cover of her stone walls, Shalltear was tagged by an arrow of silver. She gave out a hiss of pain as steam came from his.

With her outstretched hand, Shalltear formed a large javelin of light, and with a loud snarl she threw it at the arrow's source with all her strength. This Javelin was one of Shalltear's strongest attacks and if she imbued it with enough MP it would turn into the perfect strike that couldn't miss and inflicted an anti-healing curse on the target. But of course the dragonoid didn't know that, so Shalltear could barely contain her joy when he tried to avoid it only to end up having his left arm practically torn off. Shalltear let out inhumane laughter as she prepared another javelin for his right arm. Unfortunately her joy was cut short when she felt two extreme sources of hostility lunge at her from behind.

With an irritated scoff, she turned around and threw the [Purifying Javelin] at Demiurge who had assumed his bulky final form. Despite his form's increased defensive capabilities, the javelin still tore through Demiurge's outstretched arm and into his shoulder.

While Demiurge fell back down to the ground, Shalltear lifted her lance and blocked Cocytus' katana which had been on a path for her neck. A blast of cold air rammed into Shalltear as Cocytus used [Ice Pillar]. With the skill providing him footing to stand on Cocytus equipped his three other katana's and launched a ferocious three-point attack. One sword flew towards Shalltear's leg's, another tore through the air aiming to sever Shalltear's torso from the rest of her body, and the last one went towards Shalltear's neck in order to support Cocytus' first strike. As strong as Shalltear was, she had no hope in blocking this series of highly skilled attacks and even less hope of surviving it with the amount of HP she had left.

In a desperate attempt to avoid the coming strikes, Shalltear threw herself downwards. She crashed into the ground with a loud thud, throwing up huge amounts of dust in the process. The dust remained suspended in the air for what seemed like forever but when the dust finally settled, Shalltear stood there in all her splendor looking like she wasn't even hurt in the first place. The truth was, however, Shalltear was dangerously low on health.

 _"Not yet, I can't use my [Time Reversal] yet, it's still to early."_

Shalltear examined her surroundings and summarized the current battle situaton.

 _"I've completely turned around the tide of the battle. With this I should have higher chances of winning. Demiurge is still pinned to the ground by my javelin, and that Azazel should be licking his wounds somewhere. For now Cocytus is the only real threat remaining. I might be able to go for a while longer without using another [Time Rever-"_

As if mocking her thoughts, a sharp pain suddenly sprouted from Shalltear's right arm. Shalltear let out a shriek of pain as she was once again struck of to the side by something large and fast. Shalltear glanced up and saw Azazel who was now supposed to be one-armed standing in front of her wielding a two-handed war hammer with silver spikes, and his arm seemed to be completely fine.

"H-How?!"

Shalltear practically choked out her words in her disbelief. Seeing her confusion Azazel let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

"It seems you thought that your little anti-healing curse could hinder me. Unfortunately for you I don't need to heal my arm when I can just get a new one."

Shalltear gnashed her teeth in anger, and was about to charge him when she felt yet another wave of cold from above. She looked up just in time to see a giant icicle of ice looming above her head

 _"That damned Cocytus."_

Shalltear scrambled to get out of the icicle's path as she cursed Cocytus in her head. However, it was too late. Shalltear managed to evade the actual icicle, but the aftereffects of its crash caused her to slip, and before she could stand back up properly her leg was caught by something leathery. Shalltear looked down to find a leathery rope coiling around her body.

 _"Wh-What is this?! I should be immune to all binding, so why?!"_

To make matters worse, a still single-armed Demiurge appeared behind her and wrapped up her already binded self in his one remaining arm. Azazel looked at Shalltear with what seemed to be contentment before taking out an item of some sort. Shalltear's heartbeat quickened as he approached her with item in hand. Her mind raced for answers and her body struggled for freedom. But it was useless, the more she struggled the tighter the rope went and Demiurge wasn't letting go any time soon.

 _"Einjelhar! If it can get over here and free me for an instant I can turn the situation around! What the hell is keeping it away for so lo-"_

Just as Shalltear had found hope that hope was promptly dashed as she felt her Einjelhar's presence disappear

"Im-Impossible"

She blurted out loud

"That fourth presence I felt defeated Einjelhar?! What the hell was he?!"

"Oh? Did you think he was just a high-level summon or something?"

Shalltear's ire grew as the dragonoid mocked and taunted her.

 _"Wait, I still have one more use of [Negative Impact Shield], I can st-"_

Unfortunately for Shalltear, the rope that had caught her seemed to restrict the usage of skills and spells. With her options being crossed off one by one, Shalltear began to panic and struggled even more to get free of the rope.

Azazel, oblivious to all that, kept talking.

"Well in a sense you're correct, but he isn't a normal summon. But you don't need to know anymore than that, for now just go to sleep?"

As he said that he crushed the item right next to Shalltear's ear. In the next instant Shalltear lost conciousness.

* * *

 **E-Rantel, Mayor's office:**

Ainz sighed as his emotional passive was yet again triggered by his black history.

 _"Does he have to be so dramatic everytime he says my name?"_

"Ainz-sama?"

The source of Ainz's inner conflict brought him out of his thoughts.

"Is there something... WRO-"

Ainz spoke over Pandora's Actor, stopping him from triggering the emotional passive yet again.

"That's enough. Pandora's Actor why have you contacted me?"

"Ah, yes about that. Ainz-sama, might I know the reason for leaving the world items of Demiurge, Cocytus, and Shalltear in the treasury. Needless to say this isn't a complaint. On the contrary, I am quite excited to once again organize these wonderf-"

"Pandora's Actor, what did you just say?!"

The panicked shout that had just exited Ainz's mouth was not a good fit for the wise master of Nazarick that was revered by all the NPC's. Realizing this Ainz quickly recovered his senses, and after clearing his throat, and stealing a few glances at the subordinates in his office he once again spoke in a much calmer manner.

"I apologize for my outburst, please banish it from your memories. Now then Pandora's Actor, what were you saying about Demiurge?"

"Ah yes, about that. It seems Demiurge and the others are setting out on a mission without their world items. When I asked Demiurge why they were leaving the items behind he merely said that it was your order. Please enlighten this UNWORTHY one. It is my deepest regret that I am unable to comprehend my creat- no, my father's thoughts.

 _"Huhhh!"_

In that moment, Ainz was more thankful for his undead body than ever before. While internally his mind was set ablaze by the storm of thoughts, worries, and anxieties that assaulted it, to the NPC's looking at him from the outside he was the picture of regal calm. His face resembled an unshakable stone which did wonders to hide his inner turmoil.

As Ainz's non-existent brain was overworking itself, a message arrived from Albedo. While on any normal day Ainz would have a few lingering feelings of apprehension about a call from the guardian overseer. In this moment there was nobody else he wanted to hear from. Ainz accepted the message eager to hear an explanation for Demiurge's bizzare actions.

"Ainz-sama, Demiurge and Cocytus have betrayed us! I apologize for not noticing sooner! Demiurge had returned from the mission safe and sound so I had thought he would be alright!"

After having received his explanation, Ainz quickly regretted answering Albedo's call. He wished that he could turn back the hands of time to when he was still ignorant to the truth.

 _"I did it again... After observing the new player for a while I quickly concluded that he was an easy person to take care of. I didn't even think of the possibility that he was baiting me. Because of me the children have been taken. What do I do? Do I fight them myself? Do I order Albedo to assemble a team for it? What if this is a trap? While the enemy didn't strike when Shalltear was the one being mind-controlled, there's no guarantee that the same thing will happen this time."_

Ainz, who was drowning in panicked thoughts, had grown ignorant of his surroundings, yet despite that Albedo's next words came in surprisingly clear.

"Ainz-sama, what are your orders? No matter the cost this one shall accomplish it."

These words were by no means uncommon for Ainz. In fact it would not be an overstatement to say that he heard such words several times in a day. Yet somehow in this moment Ainz's undead heart was struck by these all too familiar words.

 _"I see. I was worrying uselessly huh. Even if I'm unable to save them effectively, if it was Albedo she'd definitely be able to do it..."_

"Albedo, thank you."

Ainz had thanked Albedo several times since she gained sentience. But to him there was no moment other than now where he felt as thankful.

"E-Eh? A-Ainz-sama? ..."

Unfortunately, this meaning did not transfer properly to Albedo who had been caught off guard by Ainz's sudden admission of gratitude.

Ainz, who had made peace with hinself over the situation, paid this no heed as he began barking out orders.

"Forget it for now. Albedo I want you to pinpoint a location for Demiurge, and then assemble a team for retrieval and interception."

"It is already done. I've had Nigredo track their location to a forest in the outskirts of the Slane Theocracy. She was, however, unable to pinpoint their exact location due to interference from a high-level barrier. The team I have assembled consists of Sebas, Aura, Mare, five hundred Eight Edge Assassins, A unit of Aura's magic beasts, and one of Mare's familiars. I have also had Demiurge, and Cocytus' direct subordinates temporarily detained."

While normally Ainz would have been surprised at the amount of preparation that Albedo had already finished, for the time being he did not have the luxury for surprise.

"I see, then Albedo I want you to bring Nazarick's alert level to the max, and inform Pandora's Actor of the situation. Tell him to temporarily leave the treasury and aid in Nazarick's defenses while we're gone. We can't cross out the chance that the enemy is attempting to lure us out and attack the base while we're gone. Inform Pandora's Actor that he will temporarily be in charge, and he should immediately contact us if enemies show up at Nazarick."

Ainz hesitated for a moment before adding an extra order

"And tell him that if the situation calls for it... he is permitted to activate Rubedo

"Understood."

After ending the call with Albedo, Ainz immediately created a gate to where the forces were on standby and stepped through. Upon emerging from the dark portal, the first thing Ainz saw were the kneeling figures of Albedo's assembled force.

"Stand."

With a regal wave of his hand, Ainz gave a single order. And like a machine all the forces stood up at the same time. Every single one of then had a serious air about them, even the normally jovial Aura, the warm Sebas, and the fidgety Mare were still as stones. Despite being slightly taken aback by the tension, Ainz proceeded to give out orders.

"The Eight-Edge assassins and magic beasts will not take part in the fighting unless ordered to, you will merely form an enclosure around the targets and prevent escape. Aura, I will allow two magic beasts to join the battle. Have the rest aid in the enclosure effort."

"As you wish, Ainz-sama"

Aura and all the addressed vassals bowed and spoke at the same time.

After giving out his orders, Ainz turned to the side and merely awaited Albedo's return. As if reading the atmosphere Albedo suddenly appeared in her battle armor and with Ginnungagap.

"Ainz-sama I have accomplished your orders."

"Good, well then. Let us depart."

Albedo wordlessly moved to Ainz's side and produced a crystal mirror. Reflected in the mirror was a lush and thick forest.

"So, this is where we'll find Shalltear and the others..."

Ainz cast a [Mass Teleport] spell and in the next moment he and his vassals found themselves breathing in fresh countryside air. Of course, in Ainz's case he wasn't actually breathing anything in seeing as he was undead. They were currently situated at the edge of a large forest. Since Shalltear was within the forest, normally they would have teleported further in so as to retrieve her in an easier manner. But the giant red barrier surrounding the entire forest prevented from this happening. Without making a sound, Ainz approached the barrier and placed a single bony hand on it's surface.

"[Maximize Magic: Dispel Barrier]!"

The barrier shattered like a broken mirror and then dissipated into nothing.

"[Maximize Magic: Cage of Death]!"

A new dark purple barrier rose up to take it's place. In the instant that the barrier was replaced. Ainz began barking out orders.

"Quick, begin the enclosure. Make sure there isn't a single gap!"

Before the words even finished leaving Ainz's mouth the vassals he had given orders to had already set out. After most of them had left, The guardians went up to his side in a line. For a long time none of then spoke, despite this however there was an unspoken understanding between them all. And the same fiery thoughts burned inside of Ainz's heart.

 _"Whoever you are... whoever did this. I'll make you pay!"_

* * *

 **Slane Theocracy, Forest in the outskirts:**

Azazel finally let down his guard when the sleeping Shalltear was taken away by Cocytus and Demiurge. Normally, undead don't need sleep but Azazel had used an item that forcefully afflicted targets with a sleep status effect. A prerequisite for it to work was that the target had to be low on health. Thanks to Shalltear withholding on using her healing spells the item had worked like a charm.

 _"So, that's my third NPC, huh. And I still have one wish on the ring left... Things are progressing nicely. Now then, I suppose I should heal up."_

The reason Azazel had not returned with Demiurge and Cocytus was because the Slane Theocracy had not been made aware of his identity as a dragon. Therefore, he had to revert to his human form before returning. Unfortunately the wounds he received in dragon form would transfer over to his human form. And even if he healed the wound as a dragon it would remain on his human body until he healed it as a human.

Grumbling about this annoying necessity, Azazel took out a high-grade [Potion of Healing]. Taking in a deep breath, Azazel reverted to his human form. In that instant his body was hit with a wave of pain so intense he almost blacked out. The sharp burning sensation that started from his left arm spread throughout his whole body making Azazel feel like he was being burned alive.

Moments before he lost consciousness he managed to break the potion case with his grip. The bright red liquid splashed over his fist and dripped onto the top of his shoes. The burning sensation was soon replaced by an incessant throbbing which disappeared soon after, giving way to a feeling of refreshment. Azazel sighed as he wiped his forehead, which had been soaked in sweat due to the pain.

 _"So, I'm an armless human now..."_

He absentmindedly reached a hand for the stump that his left arm had turned into.

 _"I wonder how Zesshi would react to this."_

After calming his heartbeat and drying off his sweat, Azazel used a teleport scroll and his world was changed. He found himself at the pick-up point that the Slane Theocracy set for the Operation: Catch Shalltear... Or at least he was supposed to. Just before Azazel used the scroll, the barrier he had asked Sorviez to create had been torn down and in it's place a new barrier arose, and his teleport failed.

The moment he realized what had happened it was already too late, several presences had shown up and formed an encirclement.

 _"Tch, so he's already here."_

Realizing who was behind the recent string of events, Azazel quickly transformed back into a dragon and drew out Mjolnir in a sword shape.

 _"For now, I should run. I don't know how many people that bastard brought but I probably can't handle it on my own."_

Azazel turned around to make a break for the edge of the forest, but before he could take even a single step; the earth beneath him began to shift. As if preparing for the advent of some sort of God, the trees and small mounds of dirt in front of Azazel moved aside one by one. Eventually even the ones on Azazel's side began to move. When everything finally stopped, a clearing in the forest had been created. On one end of it was Azazel and on the other end was a group of eight. Aura Bella Fiora with her two favored magic beasts beside her, Mare Bello Fiore with his Dragon familiar, a knight in black wielding a bardiche, an aged man in a butler uniform, and finally the symbol of all Azazel's hatred and frustration.

"Momonga"

He spoke almost breathlessly. The moment the name left Azazel's lips, waves of killing intent came from the four people beside Momonga. The most potent of which was the one from the black night. But Azazel didn't care, right then and there in that instant all he could see was himself and Momonga. When confronted by the symbol of his hate, Azazel was barely able to stop his rising blood-thirst from taking over his more rational side. For a long time the two just stood there staring at each other until finally Momonga spoke.

"Where are they?"

Ainz's tone seemed emotionless but upon hearing it Azazel was taken aback at the intense emotion he instinctively felt from the undead magic caster. Sadness, rage, frustration, and self-doubt were whirling around in one big storm. Faced for the first time in his life with such intense feelings, Azazel was unable to answer.

"I see."

Divining some sort of answer from Azazel's silence, Ainz's words echoed disappointment which snapped Azazel out of his trance like state. And with that exchange as the opening, Momonga attacked first, he stretched out his hand and mimed a gripping motion. Azazel had made his move almost immediately after Momonga moved.

Azazel, when he was still in YGGDRASIL had spent countless hours researching everything there was to know about the guild [Ainz Ooal Gown], and thus he had instinctively sensed Momonga's opening attack and made the appropriate counter move.

As soon as Momonga had clenched his fist, Azazel's entire body stiffened as if he was petrified. Sensing his inability to move, the black knight and the butler charged at him from the left and right sides respectively. The knight with a strike to his neck and the butler with a punch to the torso. Azazel stood still and merely waited for the strikes to hit his body, and hit him they did. The resulting shockwave from their attacks displaced the air so violently that the surrounding trees very nearly toppled.

Yet, Azazel's body had not moved an inch, and both the knight and butler's bodies had stiffened as if they were paralyzed. This was a result of the skill Azazel used to counter Momonga's [Grasp Heart]. This was the [Indomitable Dragon Pride]. This was an absolute defense skill with several prerequisites for proper usage. This skill would paralyze its user for a given amount of time and if he wasn't attacked during this time he would lose 20% of his health. However, if he was attacked, the attacks would be nullified and the attackers would he paralyzed for a moment. This was why the knight and butler were now helpless in front of Azazel.

Capitalizing on this opportunity, Azazel hit them aside and lunged at Momonga in one swift motion. However, before he could even make it halfway towards Momonga. A fist made of rock sprouted from the ground beneath knocking him upward. Subsequently, a large vine sprouted from the ground and slapped him away.

At the same time Azazel saw the ground underneath Aura rise up to form a pillar of sorts allowing Aura to jump high above the battle ground and unleash a torrent of arrows onto Azazel.

"Mare, that pesky bitch!"

Azazel skillfully cut down the arrows that were on a collision course for him and let the other arrows pass him by. He was about to make another run for Momonga but he was stopped by the presence of the one's he had hit away earlier. Behind him coming in with an axe kick was the butler, and appearing suddenly in front of him with some sort of teleportation spell.

"[Mjolnir-transform: Shotgun], [Valhalla Fallen], [Mjolnir Skill-boost]!"

In a show of pure skill, Azazel instantly made a move that counter-attacked the ones currently attacking him and attacked the onlookers as well.

Upon seeing the bright light flashing from the white shotgun ,Hildr, every single person in the vicinity prepared a defensive ability. Mare cast defensive magic upon all his comrades giving them a faint green glow, Aura summoned a turtle type magic beast and hid in it's shell, Ainz summoned a death knight to protect himself and the exposed familiars and summons of Aura and Mare, and Albedo stood in front of the pack crisscrossing her arms and activating some sort of defensive skill, which was evident due to the faint silhouette of a castle wall taking shape behind her. Meanwhile Sebas pressed his attack, but after seeing that his axe kick dealt no damage to Azazel. He switched gears and used Azazel's back as a springboard to leap away. All of this happened within the span of a second.

In the next moment, a light pillar that was several orders of magnitude stronger than the one Azazel had used in the Elven Forest arose. When the light finally died down, Azazel found a less than favorable result. Aura, Mare, Ainz, and all the people who were behind Albedo had their defenses shattered but aside from that they were completely fine. He also sensed Sebas' presence still lingering behind him.

 _"Damn, who is this woman! What was that skill just now?!"_

The source of this poor outcome was the succubi standing in front of Azazel. The black knight who had assumed a vanguard position had her helmet completely destroyed and large bits and pieces of her armor completely torn apart. All that was left clinging onto her body were a few scraps of metal.

 _"That was an attack capable of wiping out your average level 100 party, and this bitch just tanked it? What the fuck is going on!"_

While Azazel was busy recovering from the shock of witnessing the succubi tank his world item-augmented attack. Momonga took the chance to have the succubi restore herself.

"Albedo! Get back!"

Albedo immediately obliged jumping to the back of the attack line and bringing out several health potions. This sight broke Azazel out of his trance and he attempted to stop her from recovering. But before he could take a single step forward, a black hole was thrown at him.

Needless to say this was a present from Momonga. Azazel flew up and backwards to avoid getting sucked into the black hole, but as he was fleeing he came into contact with something hard. Azazel attempted to dive down as soon as he realized what he had just bumped into.

 _"I completely forgot about that butler!"_

However, it was too late. Two big black arms wrapped themselves around Azazel locking him in place. Azazel turned his neck and saw a black dragonoid with grey fur lining the top of its head staring back at him.

 _"So the butler's a dragonoid, and the black knight's a succubi... What else am I going to find out? Mare's a boy?!"_

Momonga quickly took advantage of Azazel's position and cast a ferocious spell.

"[Triplet Maximize Magic: Reality Slash]!"

Three dimension-cleaving blades came rushing at Azazel. The first cut through his left arm completely severing it and cutting halfway through the butler's left arm. The second cleaved most of his chest in half, and the third cut through his right arm and did the same to the butler. The pair then simultaneously fell to the ground. A leather whip came and attached itself to the butler's leg and dragged him back towards the back of the enemy's line.

Meanwhile Azazel was left there as a majority of his wounds closed up, and his arms sprouted back. Of course it was only his physical body that healed, Azazel's actual remaining health had not healed much from the damage reality slash dealt. Unfortunately for Azazel he wouldn't have time to heal that damage as Momonga didn't plan to leave him alone for long.

"[Hold of Ribs]!"

Multiple large rib shaped bones sprouted from the ground and pierced Azazel, who had managed to stand up. This effectively held him in place as Mare launched a giant rock stalactite which then pierced through Azazel's midsection. He tore it out and tossed it aside allowing the hole in his abdomen to rapidly start to close up, but the attacks didn't end there.

Just as the [Hold of Ribs] expired, Momonga cast [Triplet Maximize Magic: Greater Thunder], and Aura jumped up into the air to fire another rain of arrows. The lightning fried Azazel's insides and the arrows pierced through his skin.

Then the familiars decided to join in the big chameleon crawled up towards Azazel and shot lightning rays from his mouth which singed Azazel's already cooked insides. The wolf made several slashing motions towards Azazel which turned into wind blades that chipped at his scales, and the dragon came in and engulfed Azazel in flames.

 _"Shit! I'm getting completely beat down over here. I have to turn this around or I'm going to die here!"_

Azazel grit his teeth and flapped his wings several times to clear the flames. When they dissipated, Azazel made his move he transformed the shotgun into a hammer and then proceeded to smash the chameleon into the ground with it. Using his free hand he grabbed the wolf ,that had lunged at him, by the throat and tossed it aside. He then transformed the hammer into a spear and stabbed the dragon with all his might opening up a gaping hole in its chest.

But before he could gain anymore momentum than this the dragonoid butler came rushing in and struck Azazel squarely in the chest, sending him back a few meters. Azazel panted and heaved as he observed his surroundings. At the moment the three familiars had moved to the back of the line to heal their wounds with Albedo while the two elves, Momonga, and the butler kept him busy. But it seems Momomga felt that this wasn't enough, and so for the first time in the battle he used his specialty.

"[Create High-Tier Undead]!"

Four Pale Rider's took shape infront of Momonga.

 _"Shit, Fuck. Did you have to summon the Pale Rider's you bastard? I'm already in enough shit without having to deal with your undead."_

Azazel breathed in and out slowly as he resolved himself to launch a do-or-die last spurt.

 _"This is it. This moment will decide if I leave this place with my life intact."_

Momonga, Aura, Mare, and the butler watched Azazel closely, preparing themselves to counter whatever move he decided to make. But none of them could have expected the nightmare that came next. Azazel used a special skill that he unlocked after achieving the maximum amount of levels in the [Legendary Draconic Knight] class. This perk was the ability to use three skills simultaneously in one instant. This would cost over half of your Extra XP bar but it would momentarily allow you to achieve a feat that should normally be impossible.

In an instant Azazel's attackers were assaulted by three skills. First, they were all paralyzed by Azazel's [Royal Dragon King's Roar]. The effect was particularly strong on the butler who had been forces onto his knees. Second, they were all blown away by the [Dragon King's Gale Storm]; the shockwave from this attack was so powerful that it defaced the land. Lastly, a tornado had taken shape around Azazel forming a wall around him as well as providing him with a springboard for escape.

 _"That attack should keep them busy for a while. I need to get out of here!"_

Azazel flew with all his might to the top of the barrier that kept him trapped. He transformed [Mjolnir] into a lance and struck the barrier. It flickered, but remained standing. So, Azazel struck it again, and again, and again. It was only on the 6th strike that it finally broke down.

But six strikes was more than enough for the people down below to recover. Before Azazel could teleport away a vine wrapped around his leg and dragged him back down to the ground. Slamming him hard in the process. The sudden drop forced Azazel to drop his teleport scroll and he was now on the ground surrounded by his enemies and without a means to teleport. Momonga stood at the forefront of all these enemies and gave Azazel a stare as chilling as death.

"It's over. Give up now."

Azazel merely stared right back into Momonga's empty eye sockets, unwilling to utter a word in reply.

 _"So, even after all that it wasn't enough... Looks like I have to use the ring."_

Momonga raised a hand as if to announce Azazel's death, but before he could do anything with it Azazel raised his own hand and quickly shouted "[Wish Upon a Star]! Take me to the pick-up point!" while simultaneously reverting to his human form. The last thoughts that swirled around Azazel's head before he blacked out were

 _"It's not over yet Momonga. It will be someday, but that day is not today!"_

* * *

 **Slane Theocracy, a forest in the outskirts:**

Ainz stood in deep thought as his surviving vassals kneeled before him.

 _"Hmm, this battle wasn't my style. I had next to no information about him which led to that difficult drawn-out battle. Ah, no matter. No use in regretting it now, I had little time to make a decision and with this we ended up learning more about how the enemy fights. He even used a few trump cards. So, far this is a loss-loss situation for both of us. I wasn't able to retrieve Shalltear and the others, but from the looks of it this player is acting alone. Either that or he refused to ask for help in order to deceive us. But the question now is... what's my next move?"_

Albedo who emerged from the sea of kneeling individuals to kneel a little closer began giving a report which drew Ainz out from his thoughts.

"Ainz-sama, we found a high-level dragonoid nearby. However, it seemed to be in a trance state and stood absolutely still no matter what we tried. In addition to this we've retrieved three arms that belonged to the dragonoid we encountered. It is likely that this individual is the one known as Azazel."

Ainz cupped a skeletal hand to his chin.

"Umu, I see. Have the arms brought to De- brought to Neuronist Painkill for an in-depth analysis. As for the dragonoid... kill it."

"Understood"

"Ah! Albedo, Wait a moment."

Ainz stopped Albedo, who was about to leave to fulfill his orders.

"Azazel was a dragon-type species, yet my World Item which is meant to cripple dragons seemed to have no effect on him. This means he had a World Item, but throughout the battle we didn't see anything particularly noteworthy enough to be the work of a World Item. That being said, do you have any guesses as to what his World Item was?"

Albedo thought for a moment before answering.

"Ainz-sama, I believe it was a type of skill-augmenting World Item. That attack of his that incapacitated me was simply too strong to be a natural skill."

 _"Hmmm, I see. Certainly, an attack that can incapacitate Albedo in an instant is most likely caused by a World Item. So, then what did his item look like... Was it the weapon? Transforming Weapons are certainly rare, but that's no guarantee that it was a World Item."_

Ainz returned to reality when he realized that he had forgotten to dismiss Albedo.

"That is all, you may leave now. Albedo."

Ainz turned away from Albedo, as she left to fulfill his orders, and surveyed the scene of the battle.

 _"That Azazel, he's almost as strong as Touch-san in his tenacity and durability. Aside from a few skills ,however, his offensive capabilities can't really compare..."_

Ainz's non-existent eyes landed on the last place where Azazel was before he teleported away.

 _"Should I use [Wish Upon a Star] to bring him back... No, if he has more wishes or if he was just hiding his allies earlier, I'll just end up on the losing end. Better save the ring for our next encounter."_

With his contemplating finished and his decisions made, Ainz placed the battle he had just gone through in the back of his mind. After a while, Albedo returned to Ainz's side.

"Ainz-sama, I have accomplished your orders."

"I see, good work. Now then, let us return."

Ainz turned around and summoned a [Gate], but before he could walk through it Albedo spoke again.

"Ainz-sama..."

"Hmm?"

Confused, Ainz turned back around and saw that Albedo and the other guardians were prostrating themselves before him. Albedo, as their representative spoke.

"We were unable to accomplish Ainz-sama's objectives. We are deeply sorry. Please punish us as you see fit."

"Even our lives are things we can easily give for compensation."

"We are ready for anything."

"T-That's right! A-Anything."

Sebas interjected, followed by Aura, then Mare.

"Albedo... Aura... Mare... Sebas..."

The guardians trembled slightly as Ainz called on each of their names.

"None of you are at fault. You did the very best that you could. Rather, it is I who has failed you."

"A-Ainz-sama!"

All the guardians cried out in protest, but were stopped when Ainz raised a hand.

"I will not take any disagreements on this matter, however if you still believe that you were at fault... then know that I forgive you and you are absolved of all your sins. However, as punishment I will have you do your very best to not fail in our next engagement with the enemy."

For a long time the guardians just remained kneeling just processing what Ainz had told them, but unable to take it any longer Aura and Mare ran up to Ainz intending to grovel at his feet. When they instead received a hug from Ainz they finally broke.

"Ainshh-Shamaaa!"

Aura and Mare simultaneously burst out in tears as they called out their master's name with a mixture of love, joy, regret, and shame. Sebas maintained his solemn face and stiff posture, but the faint trembling of his shoulders betrayed his true feelings. Albedo, who was also attempting to quell her emotions and remain impassive, shook all over. But somehow Ainz felt that her shaking was of a different nature than Sebas', despite being undead he got chills all over when he looked at her.

"Now then everybody, let us return."

Hearing this Albedo and Sebas finally stood up, with smiles on their faces and firm resolve in their eyes.

"We are grateful for your benevolence, we swear once more that we will grind ourselves to dust in your service."

All the guardians said this, even the sniffling Aura and Mare. Then they disappeared into the [Gate].

* * *

 **Slane Theocracy, Capital City:**

When Azazel came to, he was staring at an unfamiliar roof, on a soft bed. He attempted to sit up and found that while his body reacted normally; he felt weaker than usual. As if a portion of his strength had been cut off.

"Oh? So, you're finally awake."

Azazel turned his head and saw Zesshi Zetsumei, standing by the entrance to the room he was in.

"What happened?"

"You died."

"..."

"When you teleported to the pick-up spot, your body was a mess. You lost two arms and you had several other fatal wounds. I don't even know how you managed to use a teleport scroll. You died of blood loss a few seconds after your teleport, but that ring on your finger started glowing and then it resurrected you."

Azazel's heart was sent into turmoil as his head processed this new information.

 _"I lost a level..."_

While for most players, one level wasn't a big deal; for Azazel one level cost him a lot. This was because he had gained two special skills on his 100th level. The first was the trump card he had used, in his fight against Momonga, when he tried to run away. And the second was a sensory skill called [Draconic Sense: High-grade]. It allowed him to sense the presence of a creature that was within a certain vicinity. It would take nothing less than a level 95 thief to catch Azazel unaware when this skill was active.

 _"Is that why I didn't sense Zesshi's presence?"_

Sensing that Azazel was lost in his thoughts, Zesshi decided to leave.

"Well, it seems that you're very busy. I'll leave you alone for now."

With Zesshi's sudden intent to leave, Azazel decided to place the matter of his levels on the back burner and bring out something else that's been weighing on his mind.

"Hey, Zesshi... can I ask you something?"

Zesshi didn't say anything; she merely tilted her head questioningly.

"Why do you want to marry me? That is to say, why do you like me?"

Zesshi's confusion deepened

"What's this all of a sudden?"

Azazel remained silent for a while before resolving to continue.

"When I fought Mo- Ainz Ooal Gown. There was this moment before the fight when he asked me where his NPC's were and... and there was just so much emotion in his voice. I could feel instinctively how much he really cared. And that planted a seed of doubt in my mind. About my own feelings, my motives, and my goals... All my life I'd never been on the receiving end of positive emotions. It's always been scorn, disappointment, or indifference. I don't really know what it's like for others to care about you, and being faced by emotions as intense as the ones Ainz was emitting... made me question myself. While Ainz has strong motives for wanting to face me, my motives remain the same as always. And for a while I thought that was okay, but that emotion filled voice of his makes me view my own motives as shallow...I've known nothing but hatred for most of my familial life, and now that I'm being faced against someone who actually fights for people other than himself. I don't know if I have the right to face him as an opponent. I thought... I thought maybe learning about your reasons for liking me might help me put things in perspective a little more."

Halfway through Azazel's monologue, Zesshi's face turned from confused to serious. After he finished, Zesshi remained silent for a long time, seemingly contemplating something, before finally answering Azazel.

"I can't solve your dilemma, but I can answer your question... I like you because you're strong. I've decided long ago that I won't be the kind of strong person to protect and pull up the weak and instead look for a person who can stand side by side with me on equal terms. It just so happens that you're the first man to meet that criteria."

"Why? Why would you choose to marry someone for such a shallow reason like that?"

Zesshi seemed to hesitate. But after the moment passed she seemed to brush it off.

"Because it's what I've decided."

Azazel locked eyes with Zesshi, with silent resolve to press for answers.

"Zesshi-san, I won't pry any furhter than this so please. Tell me the truth."

Zesshi pursed her lips in annoyance and the pair stared each other down. They seemed to have an invisible wrestling contest with their gazes; this went on for a while before finally Azazel won and Zesshi finally consented.

"My mother... was a strong woman, possibly the strongest in her time, but her strength wasn't enough. One day somebody stronger than her showed up and devoured her, had his way with her, dominated her. These were the circumstances of my birth and as a result I learned the law of the world from an early age. Strength was everything. The strong devoured the weak, and the weak were there only to cower in fear or live ignorantly until the day they are called upon to fulfill their purpose; to become sustenance for the strong. Sure, there were cases of the strong sheltering the weak. But this wasn't common and when the protection disappears the weak goes right back to being food. So, what was the point of protecting them in the first place."

"I see..."

Azazel responded slowly.

" So, it was my strength you cared about not me."

"Yes."

Zesshi spoke abruptly, causing Azazel to flinch and cast his eyes downwards.

 _"It seems I will never know the affection of another person...even if I get affection here because of my strength it will never be a part of me. I'm only this strong because I came from a game."_

"At first that was why I cared."

Zesshi kept talking, surprising Azazel who thought she had finished.

"I found your weak personality unappealing, and ill-suited for a man of your strength."

Noticing an odd shaking in Zesshi's voce, Azazel looked up and was shocked to see that she was blushing profusely.

"But it's strange... for some reason when I think about it now. I don't think your weak personality is so bad after all."

Zesshi had slowly inched towards Azazel as she spoke, and as the last of her words left her lips she bridged the gap between them and pressed her lips against Azazel's. The wide-eyed Azazel didn't even have time to think about kissing back before the warmth quickly dissipated as a bright red Zesshi pulled back.

For a moment, Azazel just stared at her in shock unable to process what had just happened. Zesshi took the opportunity to leave the room, and Azazel was left with yet another thing to ponder.

 **A/N: And we are done! It took me quite a while to finish this chapter. I worked on it for like 6 days(2 months and 20 days) but I finished it now so here you go. Please leave a review! Oh, and I'm going to start responding to reviews by writing a review response section because it's easier than PM. Also, this is like the longest chapter yet. It's around 10,700+ words. It's only a thousand words longer than chapter 2(the longest chapter on this fic) but uhh hopefully that's enough to make up for the 2 month absence(It's not)**

 **P.S Was the Azazel x Zesshi moment a little too rushed? I feel like it was rushed but the story I have planned out doesn't really give much room for more moments like that from them so I guess it's fine, but I don't like rushed things so I have mixed feelings on that. ( - My sentiments on this entire fic) Oh, and the next chapter will probably come out either really late December(30th or 31st) or within the first 10 days of January. (Or possibly two months, but that's not very likely...)**

 **P.S.S Has anyone noticed that I "talk" differently in my author's notes now? IDK I tried to keep up a like formal-ish way of speaking when I was still updating this fic but after two months I just kinda forgot how to do that so to hell with it.**


	7. Prelude to War

**Disclaimer: I don't own overlord**

 **A/N: Chapter 6(technically chapter 7, but I don't count the update as a chapter) is relatively short in comparison to the rest of my chapters but it's mostly set-up(similar to how Ch.1 was pretty much just a lot of exposition and set up this is purely set-up for the fanfic's climax) so this chapter might be a little dull. Please bear with it.**

In the innermost reaches of the Slane Theocracy, the group of men that formed the backbone of the country all sat together around the same table. Some sat with pale complexions, others were quaking in their boots, drowning in sweat. A few had desperation and consternation plastered over their faces. But all of them had one thing in common; fear. Every single one of these men were men of character, competence, and power. They had all experienced a great variety of things and come out of them stronger. But in this moment every single one of them was the equivalent of a scared little boy. Among the faces in this room, however, there was one that was different.

Azazel, who had heard the same things that these men had, was the only one to maintain his calm. This turned him into a ray of sunshine for the men who were drowning in the darkness of their despair. However, Azazel seemed calm not because he wasn't surprised or perturbed by the astonishing things that had been revealed, but because he wasn't really paying attention.

It had been more than a few days since his talk with Zesshi in the healing ward, but he still hadn't come up with an answer to his dilemma.

 _"What am I fighting for?"_

He had asked himself this question over and over again since that moment, but he had yet to find an answer. No matter how far back through his past he looked, no matter where he searched it always came back to nothing. He had no motives that extended beyond himself. In the past he would have accepted that and believed it to be perfectly fine, but after that moment with Momonga he just couldn't put the issue aside anymore.

"Azazel-san!"

Azazel blinked in surprise when he heard his name being called so loudly. He looked around and saw that all the people in the room were looking to him.

 _"Ah! I spaced out..."_

"Azazel-dono, are you feeling quite alright? You looked like your thoughts were laying elsewhere."

Azazel looked at Ginedine who had just spoken. In the past, he had respected this man for his calm mind and perceptive nature, but now he felt that he was quite irksome.

"My apologies, I was just adjusting my plan for the new information we had just been given."

Deciding to put aside his dilemma for the moment, Azazel began revising his original plan.

Several of the men, who had been given more hope upon hearing that Azazel had a plan, nodded eagerly like children being offered candy, others remained impassive, but a careful few narrowed their eyes. Ginedine, who was among the careful group, spoke in response.

"So, tell us... What is this plan you speak of?"

Azazel placed a hand on his chin and pretended to look thoughtful in order to buy himself some time to actually come up with a plan. Just as the amount of time Azazel was spending in "silent contemplation" began to appear suspicious. Demiurge, who had been the one to brief the Slane Theocracy about Ainz's military power chimed in.

"I believe my master is still meticulously re-adjusting his plans. So, in the interest of keeping the dialogue going. I request permission to briefly speak on my own personal conjectures over my master's former plans and what he may be thinking of doing."

The men gave Demiurge a slight nod indicating that he had been given a greenlight. Demiurge gave a bow in response before continuing.

"Based on my master's actions in gathering me and my other associates, I believe his original strategy was to take away battle strength from Ainz Ooal Gown and then subsequently use it against him in a divide-and-conquer strategy. However, with the new information I have provided. This plan has been rendered impractical and unlikely to succeed. Due to the difference in numbers between Ainz's remaining forces and our own currently gathered one as well as our lack of feasible methods to get more. Therefore, I conclude that master has scrapped this plan and has moved on to the next plan that has a higher probability of success."

Demiurge paused to clear his throat and glance at Azazel for approval, which he promptly received.

 _"Demiurge you're amazing! You saved me from a tough spot there. Somehow, you look like your used to doing this kind of thing though. I wonder why..."_

While Azazel was inwardly celebrating, Demiurge went on.

"I believe my master's next plan is to use me and my associates to bait Ainz Ooal Gown into taking out a large amount of his forces to retrieve or dispose of us. After all, while it is true that we currently cannot be a match for them it is also undeniable that we cannot be looked down upon. They cannot afford to hold back on us if they want a clean and complete victory. And knowing my former master's personality it is highly likely that he will bring a lot of people to take care of the three of us who were formerly under him. This conjecture is supported by the recent force he brought in an attempt to obstruct Operation: Catch Shalltear. And so, once the forces have moved out my master likely plans to send an elite force at the Sorcerer King's main base in order to wipe out the rest of the forces there. After which he will come back around to where we are and catch the main force in a pincer attack"

The room was silent as everyone, especially Azazel, digested what Demiurge had just said.

 _"Hmmm, based on what Demiurge just said... it seems Ainz Ooal Gown has more forces than I originally thought. This can only mean that there were more floors after floor eight... I suppose that Succubus and dragonoid in the forest were guardians from the unknown floors."_

Azazel was not as shocked about this, as the rest of the people in the room were because he had already begun to suspect that this was the case when he met the unfamiliar high-level NPC's in the forest.

Azazel was pulled out of his thoughts when someone had suddenly broken the silence that had befallen the room.

"So, the battle will depend on the speed of this elite force, and how long our bait can hold out. With that being said, the composition of this elite force will be quite crucial to this plan. Might I inquire on who you have in mind for the team?"

The one who had spoken was Raymond, head of the six scriptures.

Azazel wasted no time in answering Raymond's question.

"With all due respect Raymond-san, I doubt that there is anyone here aside from Adequin and Zesshi who can even attempt to keep up with me in a place as dangerous as Nazarick. Therefore, I propose that the elite force be comprised of the three of us."

Raymond seemed like he wanted to say something, but he ultimately kept quiet and gave his tacit consent.

Ginedine was the next person to further the dialogue.

"I take it the rest of the Slane Theocracy's might should be focused on helping the bait survive for as long as possible."

Azazel nodded.

"Yes. While I believe that the three people I have gathered will be capable of holding their own against the other floor guardians. It would become a problem if they were to be supported by other lower-level but capable creatures. That's where your military comes in. But honestly, I am not sure if your military might alone will be enough. I think we should send emissaries to other kingdoms and ask for help."

"But Azazel-san, there aren't many people we can turn to for this. Adventurers are a no-go because they never intervene in matters between nations. The Empire has formed an alliance with the enemy, the Re-Estize kingdom has been completely crippled, and the far off Dragon Kingdom has their own problems to deal with. With that being said, the only option we have left is to appeal to the Roble Holy Kingdom, but they might not be willing to move out a large portion of their military force given that they are constantly under the threat of a demi-human attack."

One of the many quiet and shaken councilmen had managed to gather his wits and give Azazel a logical answer to his proposal. Unfortunately, the answer was less than satisfactory.

"I see... Well, I think we should send an emissary anyway. There's no harm in trying."

With a dissatisfied grumble, Azazel gave up on the idea of gathering multiple countries for an alliance against Momonga. Sensing Azazel's anxiety, Ginedine stroked his chin thoughtfully as he made a proposition.

"Azazel-dono, you have tamed several dragons have you not? Why not use them as our backup?"

Azazel merely sighed in response.

 _"I would have indeed used them in the defensive battle if I didn't need to wipe out that pesky Carne Village. Honestly, how did they gain such force. While it's completely useless against someone like me, they are simply far too strong for this world's standard of strength."_

"Ah, I'm sorry everyone. There is something I have failed to mention to you. You see there is a village of powerful goblins that support Ainz Ooal Gown. While goblins are usually weak, strangely enough these ones are not. I reckon their military might is comparable to your own. So, I am planning on using the dragons to wipe it out before it can cause us any trouble."

Ginedine frowned upon learning this.

"Azazel-dono, when we struck this deal with you we expected mutual transparency. I don't appreciate you withholding information from us like this."

Azazel lowered his head to the old man.

"My apologies, Ginedine-dono. It will not happen again."

Azazel kept his head lowered, but Ginedine seemed like he wanted to say something more. However, before he could say anything the Pontifex Maximus stepped in and ended the issue.

"Please, raise your head Azazel-san. As long as it doesn't happen again there is no problem"

Several of the councilmen nodded their heads vigorously. This was because they all felt very positively towards Azazel who was their only chance at defeating Ainz Ooal Gown.

However, this sentiment was not felt by all of them. A few of the councilmen frowned at this blatant idolism, but said nothing. Azazel himself ,however, was completely oblivious to all this.

"Thank you. Now then, I believe the rest of this discussion is better left to people who know what they're doing. So, if you would all be kind enough to excuse me. I shall be on my way to prepare several things I will need for the upcoming battle."

Just like that Azazel suddenly stood up and left the room with Demiurge following behind him.

* * *

As soon as Azazel and Demiurge had left the room, Ginedine voiced his complaints to the council.

"I don't like this, I don't like it one bit. Azazel is hiding something, I can feel it. When this war is over we'll either be all dead or have bigger problems than Ainz Ooal Gown."

This comment earned Ginedine several glares from the other councilmen, but given Ginedine's prestige among them not a single one spoke out. In the end the only one to speak was the Pontifex Maximus.

"Ginedine-san, Azazel is a human. We have better chances of achieving an amicable relationship with him than with the undead."

Ginedine scowled, and with a bitter tone in his voice replied

"One of our revered gods was an undead creature."

Several of the men who had been holding back out of respect for Ginedine snapped at his side comment, and spoke out against him.

"You insolent fool!"

"How dare you compare a god to a mere monster."

"Well that mere monster has got you decrepit old fools quaking in your boots."

Ginedine spat back with uncharacteristic anger and disdain evident in his eyes.

"Ginedine-san, please calm down."

Ginedine, however, did not calm down. He slammed a fist on the table as he sharply stood up.

"If you all would look past your fears for but a moment, you would see that Azazel is hiding something. He's not even that hard to read; he's but a mere child. If any of you hadn't been too busy placing all your hopes in him you would have noticed that he wasn't paying attention to a single thing during the entire briefing."

Flecks of saliva flew from Ginedine's mouth as he so openly shouted at the men around the table. All of whom were shocked by the intensity behind the old man's glare. One of them, however, was not impressed. In a voice as icy as death's gaze itself, Raymond spoke.

"Ginedine. SIT! DOWN! You are making a mockery of yourself."

When the two men's eyes met it was like a battle had erupted. On one side there was the burning intensity that Ginedine radiated, and on the other side the chilling presence that Raymond exuded. It seemed like neither side was going to back down, but eventually one of them did.

"Hmph."

With a dissatisfied grunt, Ginedine sat back down. And the tension in the air caused by their stare down had bled away. This allowed the Pontifex Maximus to continue their discussion.

"Ginedine-san, I understand your concerns. But for the time being please put them aside. While it may be true that we can't completely trust Azazel yet, for the time being we share a common goal with him. The elimination of Ainz Ooal Gown. So, for now we have to cooperate."

Ginedine went red in the face and seemed like he was going to lash out once again. But when he caught the gaze of Raymond, he gave a disappointed scoff and refrained from speaking. Seeing this, many of the men in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the atmosphere was now more receptive, the Pontifex Maximus resumed speaking.

"Now then we need to discuss how many of our forces we will send to be a part of the defensive battle at the Katze Plains. And as much as Azazel stressed the fact that our army will be outclassed we still cannot afford to bring everything out as that will leave our country itself defenseless. And what purpose is there in winning this battle if we return to a barren wasteland."

Almost like he anticipated this conversation, Raymond responded almost instantly.

"I propose sending in the Black Scripture. With the exception of Zesshi and Adequin of course."

"But aren't they a mainly black ops group? Is it really okay to reveal them right now."

Someone pointed out.

"No, the black scripture can be considered as one of our trump cards. And given our lack of usable Knight Legions we have no better option than to send in the black scripture, I second this notion. Might I hadd that we should utilize the Elven Kingdom's defeated army as meat shields for our divine magic caster division."

Surprisingly, it was Ginedine who supported Raymond despite the fact that they were at odds only a few moments ago. This perfectly illustrated the great sense of professionalism that the two held despite Ginedine's prior outbursts.

"Alright then. How about this, our battle forces will be comprised of the defeated elven army, the 3rd Divine Caster Division, the 1st Knight Legion which is our only intact legion remaining, and the Black Scripture?. Any objections?"

The Pontifex Maximus queried the room, but it seemed nobody was going to speak up after the two prominent figures in the meeting had said their piece.

"Now then, on to the next topic of discussion."

* * *

Within the prison compound of Nazarick's Fifth Floor; there was a single room that was always occupied. This was the room were Nigredo resided. Surrounded on all four sides by half-frozen stone bricks, Nigredo would sit in the center of this room rocking her baby doll to sleep all the while muttering incoherently to herself. However, this crazed creature known as 'Nigredo' was no where to be found today. In its place was a loyal servant showing her servitude to her one and only master.

"Ainz-sama, what business brings you to my cell today?"

"Nigredo, I need you to track the owner of this arm."

Ainz pulled out a severed dragonoid limb from his inventory and handed it to Nigredo who, while still on her knees, took it in both hands and began examining it closely. After several seconds of examination, Nigredo set the arm down beside her.

"Ainz-sama, I am confident that I can accurately track the owner of this arm. But what level of caution should I use in casting my divination spells?"

"Restrict yourself to 9th tier spells or higher. We must proceed with the utmost caution. We might be up against a whole group of players."

Nigredo's eyes widened upon receiving an answer she did not expect, but her expression soon turned serious as the severity of the situation dawned on her. Without a word she quickly began casting several different kinds of spells on both the arm and herself. As Ainz watched the rapid and efficient way in which she proceeded with her tracking, the thought of her failure never even crossed his mind

 _"As expected of an NPC crafted by the meticulous Tabula Smaragdina-san, Nigredo does her job extremely well."_

True to Ainz's expectations, Nigredo finished tracking Azazel with astonishing speed and accuracy.

"Ainz-sama, I have cast all the necessary measures to make sure my tracking remains undetected, and on the off-chance that those spells fail I also cast several spells to warn me about my spell being compromised. But it seems that there was no need for such caution. Even the tracking spell I used as a base for the rest of the system remained undetected."

As Nigredo reported on her results, a distortion of space took shape in front of Ainz. And what could be seen through that distortion was a dimly lit room containing several human figures all sat around a table while a certain demon stood at the front making a presentation.

Normally, scrying magic would not allow one to hear the sound of the place they were spying on but Nigredo had used a combination of super-tier magic, special items, and class skills to make such a thing possible. Thanks to this Ainz was able to clearly hear the topic of Demiurge's presentation

 _"So, he's having Demiurge spill all our secrets. We'll have to consider our next move carefully. Thankfully, Demiurge doesn't know much about the 8th floor. I might be able to use that girl as a trump card."_

After confirming Demiurge's presence and finding out how Azazel was using him, Ainz then searched the room for the man in question. But he failed to find a single non-human aside from Demiurge.

"Nigredo, does camouflage removing magic work on temporary forms? Say for example a dragonoid's human form?"

Though Ainz had his fair share of divination-spells and knowledge on how to use them, he could not be said to know everything there is to know about them. This was because he never had much of an opportunity to use them in YGGDRASIL due to the presence of people like their strategist Punitto Moe. So, aside from his current usage of them in the New World, which couldn't be described as challenging, he hasn't had much experience with using them. Thankfully, he had someone like Nigredo to refer to at times like this.

"Ainz-sama, the answer to that question depends on the spell used. Some spells only work on camouflage caused by spells or racial skills. But a few others work by reverting a target back to it's original form. In the case that I use such a spell, it will certainly revert a dragonoid back to its dragon form. Although, it's only from our visual perspective. Everyone else will see them as normal. But with the use of a skill I can allow you to see it as well."

"I see. Please cast one of those."

"Understood."

Nigredo cast her spell, and soon after one of the humans in the room morphed into the large gray dragonoid that Ainz had encountered in the fight.

 _"Oh? So, he was the pale sickly looking one. Quite unexpected."_

The 'human' that had turned out to be Azazel was a surprisingly unremarkable looking one. His skin was a pale white accentuating his thin and lanky frame. His raven hair was disheveled and unorderly making him look even less remarkable than he already did.

Having differentiated Azazel from the rest of the beings they were spying on, Ainz began observing the other people in the room. As he looked them over he was surprised to find that a surprising amount of them were aged individuals.

"Hmm, Nigredo. Aside from Azazel, do any of the other humans at this place seem like players?"

Nigredo tilted her head at Ainz's words.

"Players?... Ah! You mean those beings that were considered to be on the level of Ainz-sama and the other supreme beings? If it's those people we're talking about. I'm afraid I don't see anyone particularly noteworthy."

Ainz cupped his chin with a large skeletal hand.

"Yes, I would have to agree."

Ainz then stayed silent as he watched the meeting intently. It wasn't until Azazel said something about a certain village that Ainz's thoughts started moving again.

 _"A village with goblins?... He's talking about Carne Village isn't he."_

Ainz was absorbed in his thoughts when he heard the sound of a knock on the cell door. Ainz turned to the door and was about to open it, but Nigredo went ahead and opened it before he could.

On the other side of the door stood a stunningly beautiful lady. Her pearly white skin, and equally white clothes stood in contrast to the black wings which sprouted forth from her hips. The girl's beauty was only made more unbelievable due to the fact that the faceless Nigredo was her sister.

Needless to say, this beauty was Albedo, the Guardian Overseer and the person who could be said to hold the second highest position in Nazarick.

"Ainz-sama."

Albedo bowed to Ainz and then smiled in the direction of Nigredo while lowering her head slightly.

"Nee-san."

With the formalities out of the way Albedo then went straight to business and announced the reason for her presence.

"Ainz-sama, it seems Neuronist Painkill has finished her analysis of the limb we brought back from the forest. She is here to give her report"

Without saying a word, Ainz waved his hand motioning for her to be allowed in. Likewise, Albedo wordlessly bowed before calling out to Neuronist.

"Neuronist, you may enter now."

In response to those words, a bloated corpse with tentacles and long webbed fingers lumbered into the room. It's ghastly gray complexion only seemed to further its vomit-inducing appearance. This was Nazarick's Special Intelligence Investigator who was in charge of torturing prisoners. Neuronist Painkill.

Neuronist carried a familiar looking limb as well as two pieces of paper in her long slimy hands as she walked in. She stopped just a few meters shy of Ainz and bowed deeply before giving her report.

"Ainz-sama, as you have requested I have thoroughly investigated the characteristics of the body part you have brought back. And I have learned quite a number of interesting things about it. If you would be kind enough to grant this one some of your time. I wish to personally give my report."

"You may speak."

Neuronist bowed once more to Ainz.

"Ainz-sama, after repeated testing with the use of various tools I have confirmed the following things about this limb. It is completely impervious to both bludgeoning and slashing type damage. However, it is susceptible to piercing damage. Even a mere iron nail, with enough time, can eventually break through the scale's of the arm so it can be said to be a severe weakness. It seems that despite being covered in scales the arm is also weak to magic. It's only slightly more resistant to magic than a human arm, so for a dragon it has quite low defenses in this regard."

Neuronist paused to switch to her second piece of paper.

"As for its healing capabilities, it is quite astonishing. From what I've been able to gather, this arm can regenerate practically anything at astonishing speeds. Even after dicing it into several tiny pieces it will eventually regrow into a full arm. However when examined with skills like [Life Essence], you will se that its actual health won't heal even half as much as its physical appearance. It's quite the interesting phenomenon. Unfortunately, I am unable to determine if the rest of the body acts the same way. But from what I can tell from the arm, the owner has a high amount of HP, a mediocre level of health recovery, but an astonishing amount of stamina or persistence. This is because no matter what wound you give him he will still regain functionality despite being damaged quite a bit. Thus, it is impossible to seriously maim the owner of this arm. Even an anti-healing curse took no effect on the arm's regenerative capabilities. When it was restricted from regenerating its old damaged cells it simply started to generate new ones out of thin air."

Neuronist paused again seemingly to take in air as she had been talking rapid-fire when she started getting into Azazel's healing factor. After several moments passed, Neuronist bowed once again.

"That concludes my report, Ainz-sama."

"I see, good work Neuronist. You may go now."

"Ah! Ainz-sama. Might I make a tiny request?"

Albedo stepped forward and seemed like she was about to scold Neuronist, but she stopped when Ainz decided to answer Neuronist.

"What is it Neuronist?"

Since Ainz himself, the master of Nazarick had spoken, there was no more need for Albedo to step in and it would have been rude for her to say anything despite her master's approval. Understanding this fact, Albedo reluctantly stepped back behind Ainz and resorted to simply staring daggers at Neuronist. Neuronist on the other hand was completely oblivious to this as she made her request.

"When the owner of this arm has been captured, might I be allowed to keep it as a pet? I would love to perform several more experiments on its healing factor~"

Neuronist's voice seemed to have a sing-song quality to it as she spoke her wish.

 _"Well, I don't plan on letting this Azazel simply die. We can gain several things from a high-leveled corpse such as his, I might even be able to summon a permanent Overlord Wiseman or a Grim Reaper Thanatos. But if we're able to capture him, I suppose there isn't any harm in lending him to Neuronist for a while."_

After pondering on the matter for a good while, Ainz informed Neuronist of his decision.

"If we are able to capture him, I will lend him to you for a while."

"Ehehe, Understood~"

Neuronist left the room while humming a happy tune to herself. As soon as she'd disappeared from view and her humming voice could no longer be heard, Ainz turned to Albedo,

"Albedo, tell me honestly. Based on the information we've just received and what we've already seen, what are my chances at defeating this Azazel in single combat?"

Albedo put a thumb to her chin, seemingly giving it some thought before responding.

"I'd say you have a less than 50% chance at victory, Ainz-sama."

"Hmm, I see."

"However." Albedo quickly added "You've proven me wrong before with Shalltear Bloodfallen, and thus I have the utmost confidence that Ainz-sama would emerge victorious if such a situation were to arise."

"Ah, but you forget. I only defeated Shalltear because of my extensive knowledge of her attacks. Azazel on the other hand is, for the most part, still a closed book."

"Even still I will place my faith in your triumph, Ainz-sama."

Albedo remained unshaken in her resolve which caused a faint sense of pride to well up in Ainz's non-existent heart.

 _"Hmm, Albedo has a lot of faith in me. But even still engaging Azazel in 1v1 combat would be too rash. I suppose I'll have to use that girl after all."_

"I see. Well regardless of whether or not I can defeat Azazel in 1v1 combat, at the end of the day he will still lose to us. Because Ainz Ooal Gown does not and will never know defeat. Albedo, assemble a team for subjugating Cocytus, Demiurge, and Shalltear. Bring the Nazarick Old Guarders and Master Guarders as well to take care of the Slane Theocracy's Army. We're going to officially announce the Sorcerer Kingdom's war with the Slane Theocracy... And tell the Pleiades to protect Carne Village when the war breaks out."

"Understood."

After giving instructions to Albedo Ainz retired to his office in E-Rantel in order to prepare a strategy for defeating Azazel.

* * *

Several days after the Slane Theocracy council meeting, a certain queen was walking through her palace garden reading a letter she had received from the Slane Theocracy's emissary.

"... and as such we request that you send reinforcements to the Katze Plains... posthaste"

Calca Bessarez recited the contents of this letter out loud so that the woman walking behind her could be able to hear.

"Your Majesty, this is a good thing isn't it? We've already had plans to send some form of aid to the Re-Estize Kingdom so why not take this chance now?"

The woman who had spoken was Remedios Custodios, the leader of the Paladin Order and Calca's closest friend.

"But Remedios, we can't afford to send any sort of force outside of our walls. the demi-human tribes around the area have been moving strangely as of late. The country's advisors all say this is an indication that they will be making some sort of big move sometime soon. I can't afford to be sending soldiers out of the country right now."

A loud snort was heard from Remedios.

"Don't listen to those old bastards. They don't know the situation outside like I do. The demi-human tribes have made several of these so called 'big moves' in this month alone. Those disorganized monsters will never step an inch past our walls."

"Even if what you say is true I still can't just blatantly ignore the words of my advisors."

'Why?!"

Calca sighed as Remedios stubbornly tried to convince her.

"Because things aren't that easy, Remedios. I'm already on bad terms with the Southern Nobles, and if I start blatantly ignoring the words of my advisors and moving the country's resources how I please. Those disagreeable old oafs will start spreading propaganda. They'll spread rumors that I'm an irresponsible ruler or that I don't care about our country's national security. They'll start causing unrest and chaos, and then blame all of it on me. And by the end of it all I'll either fall victim to a coup d'état, or lose my rule to a rebellion. I've only been safe thus far because I haven't made any crucial mistakes, but the moment I do, those slimy bastards will pounce on it like a pack of wolves preying on sheep."

Silence passed by between the two as Remedios gave Calca a blank stare. After a while Remedios finally spoke.

"I don't get it."

"Ahahahah"

Calca allowed herself to honestly laugh for the first time in a while as she looked at Remedios' confused face.

 _"Honestly, this girl. Her child-like naiveté never fails to fill me with joy. She's like a symbol for all that is good in this world."_

With her heart affected by Remedios' innocence and purity, Calca decided to allow Remedios to follow her ideals even at the risk of losing stability within her country. Of course this decision wasn't caused purely by her desire to let Remedios follow her child-like ideals, but also by her immense faith in Remedios. The thought that Remedios would lose even if she was sent to the Katze Plains never crossed Calca's mind.

"Alright fine. I'll allow you to go."

"What?! Don't get me wrong I'm happy about this, but how did we get from you refusing me to now letting me go.?"

"Ehehe~ You don't need to understand anything, Remedios. Just know that I'm allowing you to leave for the Re-Estize Kingdom along with all the troops directly under you. But you aren't to bring any more than them. And you are to return safe and sound. Is that understood?"

Remedios still seemed confused but she decided to pay it no mind and just follow Calca's orders.

"Understood. Your majesty is truly magnanimous I shall make sure that the Slane Theocracy and Re-Estize kingdom know who to thank when we slay that undead masquerading as a ruler."

"Yes and I shall tell them that it was at your insistence that I sent troops. Now go."

Remedios bowed deeply to Calca before running off to prepare her Paladin Troop for departure.

Calca watched that back which seemed to shine so brilliantly for her as she began thinking about what this move would mean for her country's political situation.

"If Remedios returns succesfully then we might be able to use this incident to form good relations with both the Slane Theocracy and Re-Estize Kingdom. We might even be able to form a treaty of sorts. A political achievement like this might just be enough to get the Southen Nobles of my backs. I might even be able to get some of them to support me."

As Calca began forming political plans and Remedios prepared her troops, the rest of the world began to shift as well. It was as if everyone realized that a moment that would go down in history was approaching on the horizon. All eyes were on the Katze Plains. Every surrounding nation's leader was watching closely waiting for the deciding moment when history's victors would be decided, and the losers...would be forgotten.

 **A/N: And that's chapter 6(7) finished. Please leave a review, and if you liked the fanfic please follow it or favorite it because that would make me wuite happy(I like numbers/stats. Especially when they go up)**

 **Uhm, just a heads up for everyone. The next chapter will take quite a bit before it comes out. Most likely 2-3 weeks. This is because of 2 things. First, I'm going on a roadtrip with my family for Christmas. I'm not going to write at all during that time because family bonding and whatnot. Secondly, my class is going to be performing a musical play as a class project and I was chosen to be the scriptwriter. I have difficulty working on two different writing projects at the same time, so I will be prioritizing my school play because grades are important. And that's pretty much it for the Author's note.**

 **Review Response:**

 **RyuujiVantek:**

 **You and me both man. How dare this low-life reptile even so much as look in the direction of Nazarick.**

 **But seriously though if we look at what Azazel has so far, and what Ainz has... Things are not looking good for this dragon. But hey you never know what'll happen so I hope you keep reading to find out( Technically I know what's going to happen but let's pretend that I haven't planned anything).**

 **Guest1(Since there were a lot of guests I'm going to number my response to each one by their order of appearance):**

 **Ainz's world item wasn't effective because Azazel has [Mjolnir] which is a world item/guild weapon.**

 **Guest2:**

 **It wasn't actually 5 levels. It was one level. This is because (If I remember correctly) there are certain items that can resurrect people, and the levels lost depends on the quality of the item. You only lose 5 levels if you die without resurrecting, and just let yourself re-spawn.**

 **He actually can't wish for more experience levels because he used up two wishes in acquiring Cocytus and Demurge, and the third one in getting himself out of the forest. He has zero wishes remaining.**

 **Gargantua's presence would have definitely made things a lot harder for Azazel(mobility wise) but that's only as a giant distraction. Gargantua has next to no means of damaging Azazel. To my knowledge Gargantua has no magic, and Gargantua doesn't really have any piercing attacks(given that he's literally a giant rock most of his attacks will be bludgeoning) Unless he throws giant stalactites I don't see him damaging Azazel.**

 **Guest3:**

 **I'm glad you liked my little attempt at humor with Mare.**

 **Guest4:**

 **I'm pretty sure it was in the chapter that Ainz was thinking of using [Wish Upon a Star] but decided not to because of the risks involved. Also [Wish Upon a Star] is arguably Ainz's most powerful trump card. Given his paranoia, I don't see him using it so easily.**

 **Also, no. Azazel will definitely NOT end up joining Ainz. Just no.**

 **Guest5:  
**

 **I don't really have much to say about this review so... Thanks for reading the fanfic. I hope you'll stick with it till the end. (And yes, Azazel will likely pay in some way shape or form if Ainz defeats him)**

 **Guest6:**

 **If I remember correctly it is indeed because of the resurrection item that he only lost 1 level. I'm fairly certain that losing 5 levels is the penalty for dying and then letting yourself remain dead and just re-spawning else where. Resurrection lessens the levels lost, but you can only resurrect a certain number of times so yeah.**

 **Guest7:**

 **Ginnungagap is a WI that does really well against large-scale damage, but is terrible at dealing with singular targets.(This is according to the wiki) Albedo wouldn't waste time with attacks she knows will be ineffective, therefore Ginnungagap did not see usage.(But it was transformed to an axe/bardiche which she used as a weapon so it technically was used)**

 **Guest8(Zero):**

 **The only way for the NPC's to be freed from mind-control is their own death or the use of a special item like that ring that grants wishes. So no, Azazel's death would not have released them from their mind-control.**

 **MadDan90:**

 **I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter so much, and that you liked Azazel.**

 **We're definitely in agreement on Azazel needing to be less impulsive.**

 **I'm happy you think I managed to portray the characters realistically. That, in my opinion, is one of the best things that can be said to a fanfic author.**

 **Thank you so much for your support of this fanfic since Ch.1, it's been a great help to me so far and is definitely one of the factors in my decision to keep going with this.**

 **P.S I will try to get you some more Azazel x Zesshi, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit it into the story. Things are going to be picking up from here on out so it might be hard to squeeze that moment in.**

 **Oragonking:**

 **Azazel does not have any NPC's but I think the 'light NPC' you're referring to is Sorviez. The high-level summon he used back in chapter 3.**

 **I can safely say that Azazel will NOT be reverting back to level 100.**

 **Antiguo:**

 **Damn. I am so so impressed with your review right now. And I thought I could review well. You seriously have my thanks. This review put a large smile on my face(especially the first part lol)But anyway**

 **He didn't really take much damage in the battle against Shalltear or Ainz(and gang) in a game sense. If it was YGGDRASIL the game he would have been mostly fine even after the beatings he received because not only is his defense formidable he also has decent regenerative capabilities. The only reason he was panicking in that last fight was because he wanted to escape while not showing too many of his trump cards because he didn't feel like he could defeat all those level 100 people so he wanted to fight them another time and so he wanted to escape while not revealing too much of his skills( he has a lot. That's actually why he's a top player. While at the start of a battle people usually are on the winning side, as the game goes on they start to get overwhelmed by his vast amounts of skills. I'll get into this bit about him a little later on in the story. Much like Ainz has dark wisdom for more spells than usual, Azazel has a skill for more skills.)I think the reason he seems so weak is because he died after the battle and the fact that he lost an arm to Shalltear. But for this fic I'm trying to meld both reality and game mechanics into the fights. So, while they have all those game like skills and for the most part they do have their HP, certain things will still do more damage to them when compared with how much it would have done in the original game world. In this world, losing an arm can cause blood loss which will do a lot of damage in this new world. As a dragonoid he probably could have lived through it, but when he transformed into a human his human body couldn't handle it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is; In terms of HP and taking damage ,YGGDRASIL characters are a lot weaker in the New World than in YGGDRASIL(This is of course only the case in my fanfic. It's a sort of headcanon if you will. This is because Maruyama hasn't really touched on this matter much so I took a few creative liberties). And Azazel hasn't really realized that yet. If he did he'd probably stop transforming into a human.**

 **The only time I considered Azazel to have really lost is against Demiurge. And that wasn't because of strength that was because of hubris. Considering that Demiurge was one of the weakest FG's and that he didn't deal much damage to Azazel for most of the fight, Azazel got a little cocky. Although he didn't receive much damage in that fight either(in a game sense). All he got was a deep shoulder stab and a few waist stabs**

 **P.S**  
 **I think I mentioned in the actual chapter(First encounter) that while Azazel's physical appearance healed his actual health did not. That was supposed to show people that the "damage" he takes on the outside is not necessarily the same as what he takes on the inside. Losing an arm won't do much unless he lets it bleed for a long time.(When he's in dragon mode)**

 **Guest9:**

 **I don't really have anything to say here so. Thank you for your continued viewership(readership?) of my fanfic. I hope you will keep reading till the end.**

 **Shalltear Bloodfallen:**

 **Well, if we look at the types of damage they've been dealing him. And the defensive capabilities he has, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that him surviving without dying is very possible. Though he died because he wasn't in the best of mental states, he wasn't prepared for the battle, and he was kind of ineffective in the way he fought.**

 **I do acknowledge that my character is overpowered in certain aspects. But I don't believe that the skill he used was that stupid. I mean we have things like [Grand Catastrophe], and [World Break] which outdid even [Reality Slash] which was supposedly one of the strongest spells in terms of pure damage dealt. I think the skill to combine three skills isn't too broken. I mean a mere three skills isn't going to take out 5 level 87 creatures in one blow(This is something [Grand Catastrophe] did). Hell, even [The Goal of All Life is Death] is more powerful than what Azazel used. That skill can insta-kill even level 100 players. Three skills isn't going to do that.**


	8. War Begins

**A/N: I know I said this chapter would take a while to come out, but uh I had more free time than I thought I would during the family trip. And Plus this chapter is another short one and is mostly set-up aside from one measly little "fight" scene. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.**

The streets of E-Rantel were the same as they always were. Loud, bustling, and full of people. Of course lately things that aren't people have been walking around E-Rantel as well. Undead, Goblins, Dwarves, and all sorts of creatures. Yet, life went on for the citizens of E-Rantel. Despite the fact that they were now under the rule of an undead creature and were being forced to live with the very things that used to be extermination targets, the citizens lived their lives in the same way they did before the undead had risen to power.

Many of the people attributed this to the presence of the great hero Momon and his companion Nabe, but there was also the growing minority that had begun to see magnanimity in the undead creature known as Ainz Ooal Gown.

However, after the announcement that had been made just a few moments ago. Both Momon and Ainz admirers alike felt the same thing. Anxiety.

The Sorcerer King, the sovereign of the nation that they lived in had just announced his intention to go to war with the Slane Theocracy. Ainz had given a long speech and several reasons for this decision, but none of that complicated information reached the people's hearts. All they understood was that they would soon be battling against the Slane Theocracy, and strong as their king was many were unsure if even he could triumph against mankind's protectors. Many weren't even sure if they wanted him to triumph. And thus, an uneasy air had settled in E-Rantel.

This uneasy air followed almost every person, every creature that walked through E-Rantel. Each body was somehow producing an aura of anxiety. It was like a disease that had quickly spread through its host and infected every nook and cranny.

But thankfully for the citizens, this disease had a cure. Yes, a cure in the form of a giant back that seemed to fill normal people with a sense of security akin to what one would feel when hiding behind a stone wall. The owner of this back was heralded by many as a hero. He was the adamantite adventurer Momon the "Dark Hero", and by his side was his partner Nabe the "Beautiful Princess".

As the pair walked through E-Rantel's streets, they lifted the unease and turned it into hope. Their presence alone made the citizen's hearts feel at ease. This was especially true for the humans of E-Rantel who had known Momon the longest, and had been protected by him in the past. Being able to even catch a glimpse of him or breathe the same air as him was like a dream come true for these people.

Of course none of them knew that Momon's real identity was the Undead King who ruled them, and if they did then his popularity wouldn't have been anywhere near what it was. Ainz who was aware of this fact was very careful to keep up his persona as he made his way to his destination.

 _"It's been a while since I've donned this armor. I wonder if Pandora's Actor did his job right. Knowing him he might have been a little... over the top."_

Ainz observed the faces of the people through the thin slits in his visor and searched for signs of confusion or recognition in their eyes. But in the end he saw nothing in their faces but admiration and awe. The women blushed, the children gawked, and the other miscellaneous creatures just watched him closely. Even the undead paid him close attention due to his origin as their creator and an undead himself, but of course none of the citizens knew this so they simply assumed that his magnanimity was so alluring that even the dead coveted a taste of his presence. It was as if time stood still wherever he went.

The crowd's gazes and expectations were so heavy that even Ainz, who dealt with subjects of Nazarick on a daily basis, was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

But thankfully he didn't have to bear with it for much longer. This was because he had reached his destination. Ainz paused before the doors of the Adventurer's Guild.

 _"The Adventurer's Guild... how long has it been since I walked through these doors. It's kind of nostalgic. I used to assume the persona of Momon whenever I needed an escape from the stress of running Nazarick. But now even being Momon is taxing..."_

With these thoughts in his head Momon pushed open the doors and stepped, for the first time in a while, foot inside the building. The moment his jet-black armor made contact with the wooden floorboards several heads turned to his direction. Adventurers and receptionists alike stopped to look. But this lasted for but a brief moment, in the very next second the surrounding adventurers swarmed him.

"Momon-san, what brings you he-"

"Momon-dono, how convenient for you to sho-"

"Momon-kun, we were just talking abou-"

All three of them were stopped when Ainz raised a gauntlet-covered hand.

"My apologies everyone, but I have some urgent business to discuss with Ainzach-dono regarding the upcoming war. So, if you'll excuse me."

"Ah, of course."

"Don't let us hold your time"

"Oh, I'm sorry for getting in your way."

As the adventurers gave their disappointed replies one by one, a flustered and sweating receptionist hurried out of the desk and gestured for Ainz to follow her to the guild master's office.

Ainz entered the all-too familiar room with Nabe close behind. Ainzach was already by the door when he entered, and he had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Ahhh! Momon-kun. To what do I owe the pleasure."

He said as he reached an arm around Ainz's armored back and ushered him into a chair. Ainz watched his face carefully as they interacted.

 _"This guy... his skill in switching personalities is great as always. His attitude to me as the Sorcerer King is so different from his attitude to me as Momon. He'd make a great salaryman back on Earth."_

After Ainz and Nabe had settled into their seats, Ainzach took a seat across from them. Clapping his hands twice he called out to the receptionist that had escorted them.

"Mira! Bring out some tea for Momon-kun."

"Ah!"

Ainz raised a hand in protest

"I'm only here to deliver an urgent message from His Majesty. I won't be staying long so please don't bother with the pleasantries."

"I see."

In a flash, Ainzach's bright expression turned into a stoic one and the air of joviality that he carried with him had morphed into that of seriousness and focus.

"I'm listening."

Ainz nodded once and then said.

"His Majesty is worried about the possibility of an attack on E-Rantel itself. He believes that the announcement of war at the Katze Plains is a front and that they plan to send an elite force deep into our territory to deal damage while the army at the Plains stalls for time. So, he wants you to brief the adventurers and prepare an evacuation plan. He's already made arrangements to move everyone to a secured location at the Empire. All you need to do is gather everyone by the former Mayor's property and he will take care of the rest."

"I see...But doesn't His Majesty have several Death Knights stationed to defend the city. The Giants and that Undead Ship exist as well. Is this elite force so fearsome that even the Death Knights might fail."

"I asked the same thing, but it seems that in order to counter the Slane Theocracy His Majesty will be deploying almost all of them to various locations in the Slane Theocracy and attacking them while the armies at the Katze Plains collide. So, he is not confident that the defense of E-Rantel will be as easily repelled as it normally would."

"I see. As expected of His Majesty, what a well thought out plan."

Ainz saw traces of admiration in Ainzach's eyes as he spoke.

 _"Hmm, I'm happy he's praising me but only half of that was actually my plan. I've learned enough from Punnito Moe-san to know that it's best to settle everything in one move, so I'm going to cut of every loose end in one go. But the evacuation was Albedo's plan to increase the citizen's faith in me. I wasn't thinking about all that complicated politics stuff at all._ "

Ainz inwardly sighed as he made a mental note to study up on politics.

"Well then. Ainzach-dono, I will leave you to the preparations. Now if you excuse me I have to report to His Majesty now."

Ainz stood up and made for the exit, leaving Ainzach to prepare the evacuation plan for the citizens. Nabe followed shortly after.

* * *

Several hours after the events at Ainzach's office, there was a large dragon that could be seen zipping through the skies. This Dragon held three passenger's on it's back. At the front was the pale man known as Azazel, behind him was the half-elf Zesshi, and behind her was the Captain of the Black Scripture Adequin.

While the two struggled to keep their mouths from flapping all over the place due to the heavy winds, Azazel spoke calmly and clearly. Almost as if there was no difference between being on the surface, and being in the sky where they were.

"Alright, last check. What's the status at the Katze Plains and E-Rantel."

To these words, an orb that was flying beside them blinked a bright red light. After this, a voice could be heard from the orb. This voice was draconic in nature.

"The enemies forces have taken the bait, Your Majesty. Thousands of skeleton soldiers have appeared at the plains accompanied by several high-leveled entities and the target known as Ainz Ooal Gown."

 _"Oh? Ainz himself went to the battle? Hmm, no, perhaps it is merely that Pandora's Actor impersonating him."_

"I see, what about E-Rantel?

A slightly different Draconic voice spoke in response to this.

"Your Majesty, something's up at E-Rantel."

Azazel's heart sank upon hearing that there was already a complication before the plan even began.

 _"Damn it. Well, I guess it was a good idea to summon some Scout Dragons to monitor the situation."_

Consoling himself with this thought, Azazel listened to the rest of his Scout's report.

"I initially thought that there was nothing amiss, but when I flew closer to get a better look I realized that the city is coated in an illusion."

"Illusion?"

"Yes Your Majesty, The Death Knights and other undead beings that should have been posted at the city are not here and were replaced by an illusion. It seems that the cit-"

The Scout Dragon's words were suddenly cut off and the orb that had connected them crumbled into dust.

 _"Ah, he got caught... Well, no matter. It's just a few hundred low-level beings that we can't find. Momonga's probably wary of me since I haven't shown up and is keeping them as a reserve force. Not that it will help much."_

"HOW CAN YOU STAY SO CALM? YOU BASTARD?"

The unnecessarily loud voice that had just torn it's way to Azazel's ears belonged to none other than Zesshi Zetsumei. The reason she was shouting was because the intense winds, that came about due to their ride's breakneck travel speed, not only carried their voices away, but also produced it's own noise to drown out most noises, and thus one had to shout to even hope to be heard. Luckily for Zesshi, Azazel had great hearing.

 _"Hmm? Well I suppose this would be pretty fast for Zesshi... I'm faster, but they don't know that."_

The dragon they were riding was, much like the Scout Dragon, one of the several different kinds of summons that a player unlocked when he achieved the [Dragon King] class. This Dragon, which was known as the [Dragon King's Steed], was a level 65 creature but with almost all his levels optimized for faster movement. And thus it reached speeds that surpassed even creatures of a higher level than it such as Zesshi.

"Just bear with it. We're almost there."

Zesshi, who currently resembled an angry 8 year old, scowled. But since she understood that there was nothing to be done she resorted to simply biting her lip and glaring at Azazel.

 _"She's kinda cute when she's like this..."_

Azazel lost himself in observing Zesshi. Her soft lips, pretty complexion, the oddly charming combination of colors that made up her eyes and hair, and the cute way in which she clung to his back, seemingly afraid of the fast speed that they travelled at.

 _"I can't believe this girl is one of the strongest beings in this world."_

Azazel went on with observing every inch of Zesshi's face, but it wasn't until his eyes started venturing to places a little lower than her face that Zesshi finally noticed him. Azazel quickly averted is eyes and struggled to think of an excuse.

But there was no need for him to do so. This was because, instead of getting mad, Zesshi grinned mischievously and started gripping Azazel's back tighter. Twisting and pressing her body in such a way that Azazel became aware of her cleavage moving around on his back. Azazel's face flushed even redder and he lost all rationality. There was no longer anything but blankness and heat in his mind.

He regained his senses when the rubbing came to a mysterious stop, Azazel turned back around and found Zesshi clutching her head. It seems Adequin, who was seated behind Zesshi, had smacked her in the head. Azazel gave Adequin his silent thanks and the rest of the trip went on in silence.

This silence allowed Azazel some free time to think. And since he had yet to properly find his motivation, several doubts flooded his mind.

 _"I've made up my mind to fight Ainz. If not for myself then for Zesshi ... But then why do I feel so... hesitant."_

Azazel continued on in silent , even after they had already made it to Nazarick and had alighted at the tomb's entrance. Azazel was still unable to completely banish his hesitation.

 _"Ah, forget it. When the time comes I'll be able to give it my all. I have to protect Zesshi after all. Besides, I doubt they have anyone who's a match for me right now. Aside from a select few, all the dangerous beings are at the Katze Plains."_

Azazel would soon realize how wrong he was, but for now he remained ignorant.

Soon after landing, Azazel de-summoned his [Dragon Steed] as it would have been useless in a combat situation.

"Alright, the two of you stay behind me."

As he said this, Azazel brought out Mjolnir in it's basic Longsword state.

The trio carefully opened the big double doors at the entrance of the tomb. They peered into the catacombs to find nothing but darkness. No people could be seen, it was like staring into an empty abyss.

"It's... empty."

"Don't drop your guard Zesshi."

"Shut your mouth."

Ignoring the banter that Zesshi and Adequin exchanged, Azazel examined the inner portions of the tomb carefully. Using all the detection skills at his disposal to find any traps that were laid out.

 _"Ah! There's quite a lot of them. I think there are more here today than the last time I was here."_

After finding the traps, Azazel used a cash-item to light up all the traps he had detected. The traps began lighting up one at a time, shining the proper path to take. Noticing this Adequin and Zesshi stopped bickering and simply followed as Azazel carefully walked the path that he had drawn out. They repeated this pattern for all three of the catacomb themed floors, but save for the traps nothing else ever showed up.

 _"What on earth is going on? We're on the fourth floor now but there still isn't anything here. Even Gargantua is missing, my Scout didn't report Gargantua's appearance."_

Azazel's unease grew as they made their way through the 4th, the 5th, the 6th, and finally the 7th floor. They had just arrived at the 8th floor but they had yet to see a single creature.

Meanwhile as Azazel kept anxiously moving forward, Zesshi and Adequin would catch themselves gawking at the bizarre sights they've just seen. They had no way of knowing but they were both thinking the same thing.

 _"What kind of tomb is this?"_

The two, who were still dazzled by the beauty of the tomb, stopped abruptly when they noticed that Azazel had stopped walking.

"Azazel why'd yo-"

Zesshi was about to ask him why he stopped when she noticed that something was odd.

"Leave. Turn around and run. Neither of you have a chance you need to leave right now!"

Azazel shook as he shouted at the two behind him.

 _"What is this pressure?! I've... never felt power like this before. Even Touch-Me was never this imposing."_

The turmoil of Azazel's thoughts perfectly matched the way his body was reacting to the terrifying presence. He was shaking. Every inch of his body was convulsing, every hair stood straight, and so many chills were running down his back that it made him feel like he was thrown into the Arctic Sea without any clothes.

Azazel didn't know this, but neither Zesshi nor Adequin felt what he was feeling. This was because the presence was concealing its power, and what Azazel was feeling was simply what he could instinctually feel out from the tiny scrap of it that was slipping through the creature's control. If he had felt the full extent of its power, Azazel would have likely lost his mind right then and there.

Regardless of it's true power, even the tiny bit that Azazel felt was enough to leave his human form paralyzed from fear. But despite the incredible sense of danger that screamed at his every instinct to run, he still found the courage to think about someone else.

"Why are you still here?! Get out!"

Azazel shouted at Zesshi who still hadn't left the area, and was instead surveying the area.

"You'll only get in the way! I can't protect you and fight this monster at the same time!"

Unfortunately for Azazel, Zesshi was stubborn and the monster wasn't going to wait for him to convince her.

"You bastard, do you think I'll leave just like that because you're telling me to? I can fight too."

As Zesshi said this, the source of Azazel's fear finally showed itself. There, right in front of him was a short and slender girl, with eyes that blazed a crimson red, and with equally red hair that extended only up till her chin. She seemed to be wearing a sort of skirt for girls, that exposed a fair amount of her white skin. And yet when Azazel looked at that bare skin he got the vague sense that he could never leave a scratch on it. However, contrary to the girl's appearance, which could bring the word "cute" to mind, her eyes were dead, and her expression deadpan. She resembled a doll in the lifeless way she moved, like she was just a puppet hung on strings.

Strangely enough, instead of feeling afraid after seeing the source of his fear Azazel instead felt his terror ebb. He looked over at Zesshi and resolved himself. He was not going to let this doll lay a finger on her.

 _"If it's a puppet on strings then I'll just have to cut the strings and let it fall."_

Whether or not it would last, for the time being Azazel had found motivation. A reason to fight.

 _"I will protect Zesshi. No matter what."_

* * *

Thabim flew above the clouds, invisible to the people on the surface below. Behind him was the group of dragon's that he used to rule over back when he could live his days peacefully in the cavern. But ever since Azazel had arrived Thabim was no longer the head honcho. They had turned into lackeys at the beck and call of the gray dragonoid.

 _"That bastard. How is he so strong despite his size?! Taking me out in one hit... even the Eight Greed Kings were never that strong."_

Unbeknownst to Azazel and everybody else, Thabim harbored a deep level of resentment towards his new master for taking away his peaceful, shut-in lifestyle. But given Azazel's ferocious power, he had been cowed into silent servitude and thus never let his disdain for his master show.

 _"Oh well, at least I get a fighting mission this time. I can blow off some steam."_

Just as Thabim thought this, he sensed that they had arrived at their location.

"Alright, we've arrived you pathetic excuses for dragons. Go down there and wreak some havoc, meanwhile I'll stay up here. Just call me if you run into any trouble."

Deciding to pass the assignment on to his lessers, Thabim flew up past the clouds seeking to enjoy the feeling of freely sailing through the sky.

He made it to that sweet spot that was above most of the clouds and was just endless sky stretching out farther than any eye could see. Thabim stayed floating in that area, soaking in the relaxing atmosphere and imagining his pile of treasure back at the cave.

 _"Tch, if it weren't for that Azazel, I'd still be enjoying my shut-in lifestyle right about now. Hmm, maybe I should find another place to hide. It worked against the Greed Kings, so it should be fine against him too. Hmph, these power-nuts have no idea how to really play this game. Just watch! Centuries after you're gone I'll still be around, and then we'll see who's the real top dragon Azazel, you bastard."_

Deciding to set aside his issues with his current master for the time being, Thabim went back to enjoying his silent cruise.

Unfortunately, he had barely enjoyed the atmosphere when his relaxation was ruined by the appearance of two things.

"A maid standing on giant bugs. And a maid flying in the air. So, a magic caster, and a... insect tamer?"

Thabim spoke to the two despite the fact that they were behind him and he hadn't turned around once so he shouldn't have been able to spot them, but yet he did.

After a few moments of silence passed between the trio, Thabim turned around and spoke to them once again.

"You two are too much for the dragons down below, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to take care of the two of you myself."

The two who were still silent responded to his taunts with an attack. The insect lady had her bugs fly her in closer, she then unhooked her jaw and let loose a huge swarm of tiny insects.

And the flying lady cast a potent looking lightning spell.

Azazel blocked the insects with his large tail, but allowed the lightning to hit him. The two dragon-shaped bolts of electricity ran right into Thabim's scales, but instead of cooking his insides they completely dissipated against his scale's defense.

 _"That magic caster isn't a problem as I am immune to lightning damage, but this insect lady could be a problem"_

Thabim looked at the rear end of his tail, that he had used to defend against an attack, and saw that it was now being eaten inside out by a swarm of insects. Without hesitation, Thabim severed the infected portion and then began to heal it with his fast regenerative abilities.

Within a few seconds it was good as new. Thabim made sure to flash it in front of his enemies' eyes, in an attempt to irritate them

"I'm sorry to the both of you, but I've decided. You die here today."

Thabim waved his brand new tail around as he taunted his attackers.

Thabim, who was expecting silence, was initially positively surprised when his attackers finally spoke their first words to him.

"Oh? Did you think we were going to play with you?"

It was the insect lady who spoke first.

"You really are pathetic; you oversized lizard."

Followed by the magic caster.

Thabim, who was supposed to be the one doing the taunting, gritted his teeth upon being taunted.

 _"To hell with caution, I'm stronger than these two! I'm going to make then pay for insulting me!"_

With that Thabim lunged at the two maids, causing a large boom to reverberate through the sky as he broke through the sound barrier.

Unfortunately for Thabim, as impressive as his speed was, his decision to abandon caution to the wind was ultimately the wrong one.

Before he could make it even halfway to his targets, an intense fire suddenly erupted from beneath the clouds and engulfed Thabim in unfathomable heat.

When the flames disappeared, Thabim was panting, and there was a faint black coloring the bottom of his body.

 _"What was that fire? It... It actually hurt me!"_

The moment Thabim got over his shock, his senses exploded.

 _"D-Danger. This is dangerous!"_

He looked at the two pitch black dragons that had suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the maids from sight, and keenly felt the difference in power between them and him.

 _"They're stronger than me. Overwhelmingly so! Even against one I'd have no chance."_

The two dragons in front of him were Mare's level 90 familiars; they were only 5 levels stronger than Thabim. And thus, if Thabim had fought them first before making an escape attempt he might have succeeded, but Thabim was a cowardly individual. He instantly fled with all his might in a desperate attempt to find safety.

But before he could make it very far he was once again blasted by intense fire. From both the top and the bottom, after the fire the two dragons rushed him at the same time. One bit into Thabim's neck while the other bit his body.

Thabim thrashed around trying to shake them from his body, but their grip was strong.

The two dragons patiently gnawed at Thabim's scales, nibbling them off bit by bit until his inner skin was exposed. They then blew their fire breath directly onto his exposed skin, putting Thabim through excruciating pain.

This sad sight went on for a few minutes before Thabim finally succumbed to death. And thus, the 'great' Behemoth Dragon Lord, master of the physical arts was reduced to nothing more than a grotesque corpse.

Entoma, who had watched the entire scene was shivering from head to toe as saliva dripped down her open jaw.

 _"His meat looked so delicious. Oh dear I'm getting hungry."_

Entoma wiped the saliva from her chin as she fished her inventory for some of her green cube supplements.

"En-chan! Look what I got for you ~su"

Before she could get one, however, a familiar redhead called out to her. It was her older sister, Lupusregina, riding on a frost dragon.

"Lupu-nee! Thank you so much!"

Entoma's jaw was salivating again, but this time she had a reliable way of satiating it. This was because Lupusregina was carrying a severed Dragon Arm. The arm was large, dark and seemed to have belonged to a fire breathing dragon of sorts. It also had a bit of ice around the edges.

"Hehe~ You're very welcome! Oh and sorry, but it's a little frozen."

"That's totally okay! I don't mind!"

Entoma's mouth was beginning to look like the opening of a waterfall, with the sheer amount of saliva that her mouth was excreting. Her excitement was so high that she had lunged at Lupusregina's Frost Dragon the moment they entered her jumping range, grabbed the arm from Lupusregina, and bit a large chunk of Frost Dragon, that Entoma had jumped onto, was shuddering in fear and disgust at the way Entoma so enthusiastically swallowed dragon meat.

Soon after Entoma had jumped onto Lupusregina's dragon, several other Frost Dragon's flew to their sides. Each one was carrying a Pleiades maid on it's back. Among these maid's, Solution looked quite happy.

Noticing this, Entoma swallowed what remained of the dragon arm she had received and said.

"Solution-neesan! Did you get a meal as well?"

Solution's face flushed red as she, somewhat timidly, nodded.

"I did indeed. He is really fun."

As she said this, a large dragon claw sprouted from her chest. Solution let out a "kya~" sound before hurriedly shoving the arm back inside her, which only seemed to make her face redder, and her breathing heavier.

Entoma, who was previously in a good mood, suddenly let out a wave of killing intent while shouting.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! WHY DO YOU GET A FULL BODY?!

Entoma's body tensed and it seemed like she was about to lunge at Solution.

Thankfully, Yuri's dragon was right next to Lupusregina's so she was able to jump in and sock Entoma in the head before she could cause Solution any harm. Yuri then proceeded to lecture Entoma.

Meanwhile, Lupusregina was gripping her tummy tightly desperately trying to stifle her laughter.

This was because Lupusregina had planned the whole thing from start to finish in order to fulfill her sadistic tendencies. She knew that Solution had acquired a whole dragon, and so she decided to get Entoma an arm in order to bring about this situation. Noticing this fact, Shizu approached Lupusregina and gave her a solid punch to the arm. Although the punch didn't do much to damage Lupusregina, because Shizu had very few levels in close-combat classes, it was still enough to get her message across.

Lupusregina looked over to the poker-faced Shizu.

"Ara~ What's wrong Shizu-chan?"

"Lupu-nee is mean. Must punish."

As she said this, Shizu materialized her gun and prepared to bash Lupusregina with it's bottom.

"Ahahaha~ You'll have to catch me first."

Lupusregina suddenly kicked her dragon, prompting it to start flying away from Shizu as fast as it could. Shizu, however, wasn't going to lose that easily. She tugged on her dragon's mane, and it immediately began chasing after Lupusregina's dragon.

Noticing this, Yuri turned from Entoma and faced the two sisters.

"Lupusregina Beta! CZ2128 Delta! Both of you stop it right now! Behave yourselves!"

Entoma took the chance she was given and sneaked away from Yuri's back and lunged immediately at Solution.

"Solution-neesan! Give me half! I WANT HALF!"

As Entoma shook Solution by the shoulders and shouted, her face insect began sliding off slightly and revealed her true face which was drowning in saliva.

Yuri turned around and noticed that Entoma had disappeared. She then scratched her head vigorously in her frustration. Yuri then looked to the sky above them, and shouted at the maid who had been silently watching them from above the whole time.

"Narberal Gamma! You're not of the hook either! Do you think that just because you're being quiet that you're behaving? The proper thing to do would be to help me. Now go and stop those two fools chasing each other while I deal with Entoma."

With that Yuri had her dragon fly towards Entoma, who was now biting Solution in an an attempt to get a piece of the dragon that the slime had swallowed.

Narberal who was slowly flying towards Lupusregina and Shizu saw all this from above and thought to herself.

 _"Aside from the times when I am in service to Ainz-sama, these moments with my sisters are truly blissful."_

But what Narberal didn't know was that this moment was not shared with her and her sisters alone. As the members of the Pleiades were happily bantering the day away, an unknown presence was closely watching them. This presence was a powerful being from a far away place, in a city that floated above the ground. And the being was not happy that his kin had just been slain so ruthlessly. This being was none other than the Platinum Dragon Lord himself, Tsaindorcus Vaision.

* * *

"What do you think Rigrit?"

Tsa turned over to the elderly woman beside him. This woman was his former comrade-in-arms, who had fought with him in the war against the Evil Deities, and for the past few months, his roommate.

"Hmm? About what?"

"Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Well. I think he is very dangerous and is someone we shouldn't take lightly. Especially because of the shroud of mystery surrounding him"

Tsa nodded in agreement.

"Right. And that's why I insisted to the council that we need to start gathering information about him. Participate in the war by sending aid or at least post someone to watch the actual battle unfold. But I was overruled. The councilors said that we should watch from a distance for now and see how the situation develops."

"Hmm~ So even the great Platinum Dragon Lord is starting to lose his influence over the Agrande Republic."

"It's because I've been in this city for far too long. Just because they never see me anymore, they've started to grow thicker skin."

Rigrit merely laughed at Tsa's grumbling.

"But that aside. I have gone out on my own, and learned a few more things about the Sorcerer King's power."

Rigrit grew silent, and her previous laughter had disappeared. Seeing that she had turned serious, Tsa went on.

"He has enough power to send forces to confront the Slane Theocracy's army and at the same time send a force to take out a Dragon Lord."

Rigrit was momentarily shocked at this but due to her 200 years of life experience, she quickly recovered.

"So, are we fighting something on the level of the Greed Kings? I take it they are players."

Tsa nodded in a somber manner.

"Yes. The forces he sent to protect a mere frontier village had the power to kill a Dragon Lord. This village is fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, so the fact that mere reserve troops sent here are strong enough to take out a Dragon Lord does not bode well for us. Furthermore, that vampire I encountered is most likely connected to Ainz Ooal Gown. And she was a being capable of standing on equal footing with a Greed King. With all this information, we can safely say that Ainz Ooal Gown is a threat comparable to the Eight Greed Kings."

"I see. So, how are you going to deal with it?"

Tsa looked off into the distance seemingly in deep thought before speaking.

"This opponent is not going to go down as quickly as the Greed Kings. The Greed Kings were boisterous; they used their power in flashy ways. That made gathering information a lot easier, but this new foe. This one is careful, it remains hidden in the shadows and only uses it's power when it has to. To even start making counter-measures, we're going to need more information."

Rigrit let out a tired sigh.

"Why does this have to happen in my lifetime? I've been through one world-threatening event, and now I have to go through another one."

"You say that, but you're going to help me out again this time as well right? You're a tenacious girl, and despite what you say you're still willing to protect the world."

Rigrit stared at Tsa, and they seemed to have a short mental conversation. At the end of which Rigrit let out another sigh.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it! ... Sheesh, making an elderly lady walk so far."

Rigrit walked out of the wide room, all the while cursing at Tsa.

Tsa watched her leave as he went back to pondering about how to deal with Ainz Ooal Gown.

 _"If he truly is on the level of the Eight Greed Kings this will not be good for the world. The only reason this world is not under the Eight Greed Kings rule is because they killed each other and grew weak, giving us the opportunity to clean them out. When they were in their prime our battle against them wasn't even a battle. It was a slaughter. Our only chance against him would be giving all of these magic items to the world's heroes and forming a collective army against him. But that would require us to unite as one first, and not everyone is willing to do that. Among us Dragon Lord's alone, many would just run away at the sound of someone on the level of the Greed Kings"_

Tsa sighed internally as he wracked his head for answers in dealing with Ainz Ooal Gown. As he did this, a sliver of hair from his mane fell to the ground. Tsa's sharp sense picked this up, and he stared at the hair for a long time.

 _"I feel like I'm going to lose all my hair before I figure out how to deal with this undead."_

* * *

Meanwhile, over on the Katze Plains. Tensions were high as the Sorcerer King's Army and the Slane Theocracy Army stared each other down. Elves and Humans facing off against Monsters and Skeletons. They had been staring at each other for quite a while already but have yet to begin fighting. This was because both armies had their eyes glued to one spot. Adjacent to their location was a group of people who were also facing each other off.

The atmosphere in this spot was so heavy it made the other side look like a celebration party.

The high-level beings of Nazarick stared at their former comrades who had been stolen from them by a foreign item. Their gazes were equal parts rage and sadness as they prepared to face against their fellow creations. Despite these high-strung emotions the guardians moved instantly and in unison when Albedo finally gave the word.

"Let's begin."

And with that a ferocious and fearsome battle begun. Pillars of fire erupted from the ground, huge structures of ice abruptly formed, the air shook, arrows of light rained from the sky, the very earth trembled, several powerful magic beasts appeared out of nowhere, and the figures themselves moved at speeds so fast that the human eye could only barely keep up.

The Slane Theocracy's Army was so shocked at this bizarre, almost mythical, sight that they didn't even notice that the enemy had begun charging them.

The Slane Theocracy, however, was not the most shocked. Indeed, if it were not for their families being held as hostages the elves at the forefront would have already fled. Even with the hostages a sizable few ran away, and the Theocracy's Army was so distracted that the Elves were able to run a good distance before they were shot down by the Archers.

The commander, who was just as distracted, only noticed the charging army when he saw the fleeing Elves get shot down.

"Men! Spears up! Prepare to meet the charge!"

His cry sailed throughout the army formation and everyone snapped back to their senses and hurriedly assumed formation. The Magic Casters began hurriedly summoning their Angels from behind the line of Elves.

But it was all too late, far too late. Nazarick's army slammed into the Slane Theocracy's flimsily formed defense line like a truck crashing through plywood. The defense was almost instantly splintered.

And thus war began. But unfortunately for the Slane Theocracy, things were not looking good for them.

 **A/N: And that is Ch.7(8) finished. While this one came out earlier than expected, the next one will definitely take a while. Because I got lots of school stuff to do, so expect a long break.(It won't be two months though.) Anyway if you enjoyed please follow or favorite my fic because I like numbers. And make sure to leave a review.**

 **P.S**

 **Next chapter is most likely the last chapter for this fic(There might be an epilogue after, but it will definitely wrap up in the next chapter)**

 **Review Response:  
**

 **MadDan90:**

 **Well I'm glad that you enjoyed the set-up in that chapter. Let's hope this one was fun for you too.**

 **Azazel did have items against scrying, but because he was never really the guy assigned for defending against scrying back in YGGDRASIL he doesn't have many items like that. And the one's he does have are relatively weak, and so Nigredo(A character built purely for scrying) far outclasses him which is why he couldn't detect her.**

 **I hate to disappoint a faithful reader, but I've thought about it... and a baby between Zesshi and Azazel just will not fit the story I'm trying to write. Sorry.**

 **RyuujiVantek:**

 **While I'm sad that Azazel is not to your liking, I appreciate the fact that you still read my work regardless. Thank you for your support. And yes I did have a good and safe trip with my family :)**

 **Yoh GUESt:**

 **Thank you for keeping up with my fanfiction, and a Merry Christmas to you as well(Though in my case this is really late.)**

 **InternalFire:**

 **In that case, I look forward to seeing you in the reviews section of my future fanfics :) Thanks for the support.**

 **I will certainly try my best to craft a character that will be more likeable than Azazel in the future.**

 **Oragonking:**

 **Yes, Sorviez is a demon and a dragon.**

 **Azazel won't be level 100 again because the story ends in the next chapter.**

 **Rawrking:  
**

 **He wasn't nameless. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that he was pretty infamous(But if you mean nameless in the actual canon then yeah he is. But then that's the whole point of an OC. He's not supposed to be in the canon)**

 **He 'becomes' OP because taking on the guardians in single combat is not the same as going through a dungeon littered with traps and other mobs aside from the main guardians. Also like I said he's a top player. His group of 72 managed to make it all the way to Floor 6 when most people were wiped out at the first floor.**

 **He can fight the all-star ensemble because they have NO info on him at all. And majority of their attacks were not suited for exploiting Azazel's weakness, which gave Azazel an advantage as he knew quite a bit about them. I guarantee you if he fights them again when they know what they know now, Azazel is going to get curbstomped.**

 **The MC is indeed pathetic, that was the whole idea. He's supposed to be like that, and he's supposed to start to change because of his New World experiences.**

 **Why the hell does everyone keep assuming that he's going to win? This has been popping up since Ch.1, I swear. Read the fanfiction again and tell me how on earth Azazel has any sort of advantage right now? Hell, Ainz knows his entire plan. He's about to fight Rubedo, who can solo Nazarick . Tell me why people keep assuming he's going to win? Is there an invisible sign I'm not aware of that says he will win?**


	9. The Katze Plains

**A/N: And here's the last chapter(not really). Well, it should have been the last, but now it's the second to the last. Turns out I really underestimated the length of the last few events. There would have been too many perspective changes if I placed everything into this one chapter so I'm splitting the events into two chapters. This chapter covers most of the Katze Plains side. The next one will cover Nazarick and Slane Theocracy as well as the conclusion of the guardian vs guardian battle.**

 **With that said, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own overlord**

There are two kinds of people. The ones who guide the world's course for their own benefit, and the one's who are forcefully brought along with the current. War was one of the more grave consequences of the former's actions. Because of these small few who saw it fit to play with people's lives for their own ambitions and desires, war could show up at any given moment and change the lives of all that were near. And more often than not it would move from location to location, trudging onwards like a nomad, never settling, always up and about. Which made it a difficult thing to every now and then a place would arise where war decided to settle. A place that becomes a permanent canvas for the art that man's greed would constantly paint.

The Katze Plains was one such place. On this forsaken land, death was no stranger, battle was an old friend, and blood was a daily treat. Fresh corpses piled on top of each other over and over until small mounds formed all around the battlefield. Copious amounts of blood were drunk by the barren land, screams of pain sailed through the air, wails of fear tore through the morning sky. But all of these sounds failed to reach anyone but their origin. For every scream, a thousand sounds of metal colliding with metal would arise to drown it out.

However, even for the war hardened Katze Plains, the battle that was currently taking place was leagues above all the past wars combined into one. Corpses weren't simply cut, they were also burned,frozen, torn to shreds, swallowed up, and even withered. Even the land itself wasn't safe. Huge chunks of the land would be terribly scarred by the powerful spells and skills that were constantly being cast.

Viewing this horrific scene from afar was a young man with a head of curly blonde hair, and stormy gray eyes. His facial features were well pronounced, and his muscles were toned but not burly. And a glowing earring could be clearly seem dangling from his right ear. Even among the naturally good looking inhabitants of this world he was a cut above the rest. His face practically screamed grace.

But that pretty face of his had an expression of disgust stained across it. His feelings of repulsion were so abundantly shown on his face that anyone who looked upon him in this moment would find themselves failing to even notice his good looks. An intense rage blazed in his eyes so greatly, that it would take a man of iron nerves to face him without hesitance. Fortunately, the man was surrounded by professionals who remained undaunted even in the face of his intense, almost murderous, aura.

"Lessen the tension at the front lines, make a display of your strength. We need to gain morale and turn the tide back around. If even a single one of you falls before we turn this around, I guarantee you I will personally crawl to the depths of hell and drag you back so I can kill you myself. Now go!"

The men that the man had spoken to were the powerful members of the Black Scripture. Seasoned fighters who wore the equipment of the god's themselves, yet strangely enough the man's words more than anything seemed to chip into their composure a tiny bit as they hurriedly rushed to the battlefield.

 _"This is bad. This early in and I've already used our trump card. For fuck's sake whose genius idea was it to enter a battle of attrition with the undead?!"_

Elias Sandler Rubin, the commander of the 1st Knight Legion, was a young but ingenious tactician. His legion had the lowest casualty rate out of all the others because he was a man who specialized in meticulous preparations and blitz tactics. And thus when he was told that fighting a war of attrition was going to be a part of the strategy, he had nearly chopped of the messenger's head. If at all possible Elias wanted to personally find the genius who thought up this plan and choke him to death.

 _"Fuck. We're fucking fucked. The Elves are almost all dead, and the angels aren't being summoned fast enough. My knights will be forced to enter the battle soon... After years of taking the enemy by surprise, will they even remember how to fight a head-on battle?"_

As Elias surveyed the battlefield the gnawing sense of dread he felt at the very bottom of his heart grew in both intensity and strength. Over the years, Elias had grown skilled at evaluating any single creature's fighting capability, and if his senses weren't failing him for the first time in 13 years then every single soldier in the opposition's army was at least as powerful as an orichalcum adventurer with magic gear so good that almost all could be considered national treasures.

 _"If it were only 5,000 highly skilled undead it would have been manageable, but these bastards gear are so good it doesn't even make sense. It's like we're fighting the heroes of 5,000 goddamned nations!"_

Once again Elias felt the insatiable urge to torture the man responsible for this outrage. He indulged himself in his fantasies, and temporarily closed his eyes to enjoy a moment to himself. Elias did this not just because his ire was growing, but also as a way of calming himself down before getting started with the main event.

As angry and frustrated as Elias was about the situation with his army, deep down inside he knew. In his heart of hearts he knew that the true cause of his rage was not the scene in front of him, but rather the unfathomable events that were transpiring right next to him. Everything on that side broke the boundaries of what Elias considered normal, and frankly it scared him.

Taking a deep breath, Elias steeled his nerves and finally turned over to observe the awe-inspiring, almost mythical, battle. The moment he did his eyes were assaulted with sights that beggared belief. A giant blue insect wielded swords expertly and commanded ice. A little elven girl raised her staff and triggered large earthquakes, nature itself answered the maiden's call. A young elven boy zipped around the battlefield moving with agility and speed as he shot arrows and whipped his enemies. A host of potent magic beasts, each of which could destroy countries on their own also followed behind him. Several sights like this were in constant display just beside the ,comparatively tamer, battle between the Slane Theocracy army and the Skeletons of Nazarick.

 _"How the fuck did the top brass ever think the men can handle seeing something like this and not lose morale?! Fucking hell, even I'm shaking harder than a beggar in winter."_

Elias desperately scanned the 'battle', if it could even be called that anymore, looking for something that would give him an idea as to how the battle was progressing. Even though he knew it was ultimately better for his sanity to not mind it, he decided that he absolutely had to know if their side was holding up well.

 _"The moment I see our side lose momentum, I don't care what the top brass have to say about it I am sounding that fucking retreat. If those monsters let loose on us, we'll all be trampled underfoot like tiny insignificant insects."_

* * *

As the Nazarick army clashed with the Slane Theocracy, an uncanny trio was observing from the back. The group was so bizarre that if a spy had reported them to his boss he would likely have been killed for making a false report.

This was because the trio was composed of a lizardman, a war troll, and a giant hamster. What was even more ridiculous than the group itself was their panoply. The lizardman had on a set of full-plate armor that was far too big to have been made for a human. The sheer size alone would have made one doubt the humanity of it's wearer, but what truly gave it away as armor designed for an inhuman creature was the helm that was obviously designed to fit a lizardman and the fact that the armor had extra pieces for covering the tail as well as the body. The armor's obsidian color made it look like the wearer was wearing darkness itself. This image was only made more prominent by the lizardman's naturally black scales.

In sharp contrast to his all black gear, was the oddly shaped blade swinging from his hip. The blade resembled a group of icicle's stuck together, and would have likely been mistaken for one were it not for its handle and the aura of magic quality it exuded. Needless to say, this lizardman was the warrior Zaryusu and the weapon was [Frost Pain Mk 2].

Next to him was a creature inside even bigger armor, it made Zaryusu's look like nothing more than a child's armor. This set of armor shone with the more commonplace metallic luster as opposed to Zaryusu's dark glow. This armor too was specially tailored to fit a war troll, this was obvious when one simply looked at the armor specially fit for the troll's large belly. As requested by its wearer the armor was made to resemble the armor it had worn in its old days as the Martial lord, but of course this was only in appearance as the Nazarick brand of armor was several leagues ahead of anything the New World had to offer. Similar to his armor, the troll wielded a weapon similar to it's old weapon. In the troll's hand was the low-level wooden club known as [Ogre Club]. While in Nazarick this kind of weapon was laughable, in the New World it was a fearsome weapon that could bring about disaster in the wrong hands. This unnaturally well-equipped troll was Go Gin, the former Martial Lord.

Beside him was an oversized hamster, also referred to as a Djungarian Hamster, with specially made "Daifuku" armor as her master had dubbed it. The armor covered almost all her skin, exposing only her eyes, mouth and tail. With the exception of these three things her body was protected by a silver blue metal. The metal had light blue symbols engraved onto it's side that evoked a sort of magical feel. This hamster was of course none other than Hamsuke, "Ainz Ooal Gown's Pet", formerly known as the Wise King of the forest. This trio, particularly Hamsuke, were watching the battle from a fair distance away and, as a result of being left out of the fighting, were struck with utter, all-encompassing boredom. Hamsuke, who was the most bored, voiced out her complaints to her two companions.

"Hmmm, It's a bit boring in the back isn't it Zaryusu-dono? Gin-dono?"

"Hamsuke-san, that's because our side is too strong. The enemy is having difficulty just getting past our frontline,much less making it to the back... Besides, it would be more satisfying to us as warriors if the only ones we went against were the strong ones. Isn't that right Gin-san?"

The armored troll merely nodded as way of answer.

"Hmm, but Zaryusu-dono. This one does not understand, why do they not try to get past our lines with those horses."

"Hamsuke-san, if those horses made a push to try to get past our front line. Do you think they'd make it through?"

"Uhhh..."

Hamsuke lowered her head as she thought of the answer.

"Hmm. I guess not."

"Umu. Exactly. The enemy understands this fact and as thus are not doing anything foolish that would end up wiping them all out."

"So then why do they remain here instead of running away?"

"My best guess is they're trying to buy time for some sort of reinforcements to come. But knowing Ainz-sama, he's probably already taken care of it."

"Hmm, What a foolish bunch. This one always feels sad when beings who do not understand the depths of milord's power foolishly try to resist."

At these words, a dark shadow crossed across Zaryusu's face.

"Indeed, Hamsuke-san. It is quite frightening to think of what might have happened to us had Ainz-sama decided not to spare us."

Even with his resistance to cold, Zaryusu was unable to stop a chill from running down his back as he thought about a battle between the Lizardmen and Ainz, wherein Ainz did not hold anything back.

"Hmmm, so it seems that this one won't be able to get much practice today... what a shame. This one had been hoping to test out the armor Ainz-sama so graciously gifted."

Hamsuke's ears drooped as a natural reaction to her sad state, but they would soon perk up again when the stoic troll beside them finally spoke.

"Do not speak so soon, little one. "

Go Gin jerked his head in the direction of the Slane Theocracy's army, that was previously struggling to hold their line.

"It seems that some strong warriors have emerged."

At his words, Zaryusu and Hamsuke turned their heads to the battle going on ahead of them.

Where a doomed army once stood was now a seemingly impenetrable wall. This was because several warriors of great power had formed their own defensive line and were now engaging in combat with the skeletons ahead of them. The power balance had reversed. Whereas previously, five to six knights fell to a single skeleton and Nazarick's army just marched right through the enemy defense. Now, entire clusters of skeletons would be cleared out by the warrior group's slow but methodical advance.

The warriors were individually as strong or slightly weaker than the skeletons they fought. But their teamwork combined with the seemingly superior items they possessed was enough to make up for that gap in skill. Thus, the warriors were able to slowly but surely press through the attacking line, and disrupt the attack's momentum. This feat alone was enough to impress Zaryusu.

"You're right Gin-san. I can tell just from looking, my former self would not have been able to match up to them."

"I as well. But after going through combat against the most exalted of beings and then subsequently receiving aid from this being. I feel that I can no longer be defeated by lesser creatures such as they."

Zaryusu chuckled at the troll's words.

"Indeed. I myself engaged in combat against one of the most powerful beings in Nazarick. And after an experience like that, I can safely say that nothing can surprise me anymore."

As the two conversed, a natural feeling of kinship formed between the two warriors. As both of them had been enlightened on what "power" really was, they could understand each other's sentiments on the matter.

Zaryusu opened his mouth seemingly about to say something, but his attention was drawn away when he noticed a blur of blue rush past him. It seems that Hamsuke was no longer able to tolerate the wait and had rushed out to the battlefield, all the while shouting

"MILORD! Watch closely! This one will prove herself worthy of your compassion by slaying these worthy foes in battle."

Zaryusu gawked at the sight, and for a while neither he nor Go said a word.

"...I take it back. It seems there are still things that can surprise me in this world."

"Ahahahahahaha"

Go Gin threw his head back and let out guffaws of laughter so loud that Zaryusu's ears stung a little.

"I like that little ball of fur. She's enthusiastic. With just a little more discipline to hold the reins on that passion of hers, she'd make an excellent warrior."

Zaryusu nodded in agreement.

"Indeed she would. As I keep telling her, she needs to learn to be more patient..."

Zaryusu turned to the big troll beside him and flashed a toothy grin.

"That said... Should we go join her?"

Zaryusu couldn't see the face behind Go's closed helm, but he was certain that the troll was giving him a similar grin. With that wordless understanding between them, they both turned to the battlefield and ran after Hamsuke who had already made it halfway to the warriors that were tearing through Nazarick's attack formation.

* * *

The group known as the Black Scripture were currently plowing through an army of undead. And although they made it look simple, it really was anything but. The Black Scripture had fought against many monsters that were far above them and yet still emerged victorious, but never before had their chances of survival been so minimal. Though they had the advantage now, that was only because the battle had only just begun. Even this legendary group of warriors that were arguably more powerful than even the Thirteen Heroes would succumb to fatigue after fighting several thousand opponents of orichalchum skill with national treasures as their standard gear.

Understanding this, their temporary captain and the 2nd seat of the black scripture, Time Turbulence, had formed them into a formation that prioritized the safety of their heaviest hitters against the undead.

At the very front and center of the formation was a muscular, robust man equipped with a mirror-like tower shield on his left hand, and forearm shield with spikes on his right hand as well as plated armor which covered only his chest. A red bandanna was tied around his equally red hair and fluttered in the wind giving onlookers the impression that the man had long hair. Even in the face of the potent magic weapons that the enemies wielded his mighty defenses did not move an inch, and he defended the people behind him as well as launching his own blunt force attacks towards the legions of undead that had swarmed them. This was Cedran Belin Reinhold, the man known as Myriad Barriers.

To Cedran's right was an almost equally large man if not a little larger, this man was the very definition of wild. His white hair was unruly and all over the place,and he even had a long thick strip of hair that ran down the middle of his chest, which was covered in long intertwining tattoos of Dragons. The man had on a set of armor that resembled a samurai's gear if the samurai had decided to forgo wearing his chest plate and helmet. Further adding to the man's wild looking nature was his unnaturally large onyx axe. The axe was so large that it was almost bigger than him, and its blade alone was tall enough to tower over the man's knees. And yet he swung it around through the air as lightly as if he were swinging a feather. With each swing from his mighty arms a rush of wind would slam into the undead and several of the undead warriors would be cut down. This was the 10th seat of the Black Scripture; the so called "Strongest Man", Galterius Sten Hawkin.

Left of Cedran was yet another of his powerful comrades. The man had long spiky blue hair that leaned to the right, but remained clear of his forehead. This gave people a good view of his face which was adorned with not only several nose piercings but some sort of tattoo on the border of his eyes. Similar to his weapon, the man seemed to have an affinity for being tied up as he had three different items that could have been described as "wrapped around him". These items were the yellow scarf he had around his neck, and the two special belts he had worn over his armor. Similar to these items his weapon of choice, a long chain, wrapped around several clusters of undead and removed their ability to move thus turning them into nothing more than sacrifices for the ferocious attacks that were delivered by his more attack-oriented comrades. This man was the one known as "Divine Chain", Beaumarchais Azemar Wylymot.

These three warriors formed the vanguard for the formation Time Turbulence had crafted, they served as not only strong fighters to eliminate the enemy, but also as a shield to protect the true heavy hitters. These heavy hitters were the three magic casters in the Black Scripture. One was their squad healer, and quite likely the most powerful divine magic caster at present day. And the other two were arcane magic casters who, while unable to best Tri-Arts Fluder in a battle of pure skill, were strong enough when equipped with their gear that they could overwhelm even the legendary magic caster, Fluder Paradyne.

The divine magic caster was a well-endowed girl with blonde hair that reached all the way to the small of her back. She had on an ornate pink and green dress, and while the dress looked out of place in a battlefield at the same time it gave of a sort of sturdy feeling despite it's appearance. This was because her dress was a YGGDRASIL item, and much like most YGGDRASIL item's its strength did not correlate with its appearance. Further adding to her outfit's unfit appearance were two large white wings that covered her ears. These wings when combined with her stunning visage, and the fact that every spell she cast wiped out more undead than the entire front-line's kill count combined, would make any man think of her as nothing less than an angel, sent from the heavens. But this girl was no angel, she was the 4th Seat of the Black Scripture, Tillie Ishbel Ascelina, also known as "Divine Chant".

Next to her was a tall, old man wearing a dark blue magician's robe with intricate gold design's weaved through its fabric. Over the robe was an ornate piece of white and black chest armor. Attached to it and sporting the same colors was a large collar and a long sash. Both of which only added to his grandeur. In one of the man's dusty, almost ancient, hands was a long staff that was almost his equal in height, and on the other hand was a black marking of sorts engraved onto his palm. Floating beside him were several golden-rimmed orbs that seemed to be supplying the man with untold amounts of mana. With a single wave of his staff or a thrust of his hand the man unleashed devastating 5th tier spells that took down large groups of the undead. The man's kill count was second only to Tillie's. This was the 3rd Seat of the Black Scripture, Uvrune Amphior Stizefarihm, otherwise known as "Magic Calamity".

On Tillie's other side was a fairly young looking girl with short light brown hair and orange eyes. She wore purple-rimmed glasses, and an outfit that when compared to modern outfits could he referred to as a female school uniform. In her hands she held a light purple bag that, much like her clothes, seemed to come from the modern world. While this girl looked even less suited for battle than Tillie, she was undoubtedly a powerful asset to the Black Scripture's fighting force. From afar she simultaneously cast several different kinds of binding spells repeatedly. Although the bindings she launched were by no means as potent as Beaumarchais' weapon, they were still able to hinder the undead army due to their sheer quantity. Her bindings also came with their own damage dealing effects and thus on occasion, the skeletons she bound would evaporate into nothingness. Due to the formation and battle plan that the Black Scripture had adapted, the fate that the undead who allowed themselves to be caught by this girl's spells would be utter and complete destruction. This young girl was none other than the 7th Seat of the Black Scripture, Agnes Emlyn "Waifu", also known as "Infinite Binding". Her surname of course was not the surname she had been born into. But out of respect for her gods and the gear from them that she had borrowed, she decided to change her last name to match the title of the legendary equipment that she had been fortunate enough to wear.

These three were currently the Black Scripture's trump card. As long as they stayed safe and could keep bombarding the undead with their wide-scale AOE spells, the Black Scripture would survive their battle with the undead army. To ensure that these three remained unharmed, three of the Black Scripture's most skillful fighters were on body guard duty.

In the center stood a young boy with medium brown long hair, that had been tied into a pony tail, and green eyes. He wore a green shirt that followed the patterns of Black Scripture clothing in that it was both extravagant and unique. A maroon cape was draped over his shoulder's and knitted on its back was the image of an alarm clock. On his head was a black miniature top hat with gold dots on its rim, giving his overall look a sort of posh feel to it. Adding to this posh feel were the white cuffs he wore on his wrists that preceded the maroon gloves he wore over his dainty hands. In those hands he held a weapon that greatly matched his aristocratic look. It was a rapier with a spiral pattern drawn on to every part of its surface. This boy was the 2nd Seat of the Black Scripture, Alred Carnan Valro, more commonly referred to as "Time Turbulence".

To his left was a man with chin length blonde hair, gentle almost feminine features, and pink eyes that seemed to add to his feminine beauty. The man wore a cloak with varying shades of brown and over that cloak he wore a couple arm attachments that were a mix of res and black. Underneath his cloak he wore a white shirt that stretched up high and covered every part of his body except the hands. Even his neck was covered up by the shirt's collar, and it's turtle neck make. On his exposed hands the man wore several rings of unknown effect, all of which seemed to have the symbol of some sort of animal engraved onto it. This man was the 5th Seat of the Black Scripture, Quaiesse Hazia Quintia, otherwise known as "One Man Army".

To Alred's right was a handsome man with slicked back blonde hair, and narrow gray eyes. His features were noble in appearance and made him appear more like a high noble than the world's strongest Paladin. He wore a decorative set of armor that was covered in blue, white, and gold colors. He had a black choker strapped to his neck, and a single glamorous earring on his left ear that let out some sort of magic light. In his hands was a large lance that seemed to be formed of five white and blue segments that were connected by gold. The man's entire appearance just screamed out "Holy". This was the 6th Seat of the Black Scripture and brother of the 1st Knight Legion's commander, Mikhail Sariel Rubin, also known as "Divine Lance".

With these three warriors in the way, any undead that did manage to make it past the vanguard would be hard pressed to make it past them as well. This was because this group of three were arguably more skilled fighters than the ones at he front. And even if they were somehow able to give these three the slip there was still the fourth hidden bodyguard. The assassin and 12th Seat of the Black Scripture, "Tenjho Tenge", who remained invisible and stood near the three powerhouses.

This formation was designed by Alred, who was currently bored out of his mind.

"Why did I think putting myself on guard duty was a good idea?"

"Alred, shut up."

"Huh? You wanna die? That's Captain Alred to you Mikhail."

The man in question merely scoffed at Alred's words

"Hmmm? Captain, you say? The only reason you're the leader now is because Adequin isn't here."

At the mention of the name "Adequin", a visible darkness clouded over Alred's face and he could be heard gritting his teeth.

"Don't even speak to me of that cretin. If it weren't for the fact that you all have counter-measures against my weapon, I would downright destroy all of you in a fight. Stupid bastard's so full of himself just because he's a godkin."

"Now now."

Quaiesse stepped in between the two preventing their conversation from escalating any further. This was because he knew Alred got terribly irritated when the topic of Adequin was brought up.

"Captain, don't you think we should be focusing on the battle right now?"

Alred's angry look dissipated as he looked at Quaiesse. And with a grumble he reluctantly agreed.

"Hmph, fine. I'll back of for now but Mikhail..."

Alred paused to give Mikhail a glare.

"You're gonna get an earful from me when this is over."

Mikhail merely looked away with the beginnings of a smirk growing on his face.

Noticing this, Alred scoffed internally.

 _"Tch, this arrogant bastard. If he wasn't immune to my weapon he'd be groveling at my feet in a fight. I'm practically a step into the realm of the gods with my time-stopping ability, and I'm only 18! I'm the youngest member of the Black Scripture, and already I've achieved the 2nd Seat. Mikhail needs to learn some respect."_

Alred was still busy dreaming of giving Mikhail some proper discipline when his attention was suddenly grabbed by a sudden burst of potent killing intent from the battlefield. Alred didn't notice it, but every single Black Scripture member's head turned to look at the source with the exact same timing. "What was that" was the thought that crossed through all their minds.

Not long after sensing the bloodlust, Alred turned to his companions and began giving out orders.

"We can't let whatever that was come into contact with our vanguard. From what I felt there were three of them, so why don't we intercept them before they make it here?"

Mikhail and Quaiesse nodded in agreement. Long gone was the animosity between Alred and Mikhail, as they left the formation and ran out to the source of the bloodlust that they felt, and in it's place was the connection that only long-time companions would have.

As Alred was running across to the side of the two armies where the bloodlust originated from several images flashed through his mind. Images of grand attacks being launched one after the other like it was nothing and then being blocked or avoided like it was nothing. Images of the mythical battle occurring just next to them stuck to his head as he ran. And several thoughts crossed his mind.

What was he even doing? What was the point of all his struggles for strength thus far? What was the meaning in the title "2nd Seat of the Black Scripture" when there were beings out there with such monstrous power that it rendered all his efforts moot. Seeing that truly legendary battle going on had opened Alred's eyes, it had shown him how truly far he was from the zenith. And though they did not say it out loud, every other Black Scripture member felt the same way as Alred. They all felt that void in their hearts, that sense of helplessness that filled them to the brim.

 _"But I'm different from them. I have [Chronos]"_

Alred thought to himself as his grip on his rapier tightened. It was like he felt that it would disappear if he didn't hold it tightly enough. Alred was torn from his thoughts by Mikhail's voice.

"Hey Captain. Do you think that this bloodlust is coming from a being with power like those monsters on the other side?"

"No."

Alred shook his head.

"If it were then the bloodlust would have been a lot more overwhelming than it was. There's no way creatures that strong would emit bloodlust of this level."

Although Alred spoke like the killing intent they felt was weak, it really wasn't. In fact, the presence could be said as superior or equal to their own. But after witnessing the fight of Nazarick's highest beings, it would seem that Alred and the others had grown numb to their own levels of killing intent.

"Hmmm."

Quaiesse placed a hand below his chin.

"Even so, this presence is certainly strong. If it weren't for our gear we'd probably have difficulty going against them."

Even though his panoply usually gave him a sense of comfort for some reason, as Alred approached the source of the bloodlust a strange sense of foreboding grew within him.

"There they are."

Mikhail's voice cut through Alred's thoughts and brought him back through reality. He forced his anxiety aside and focused his attention to the creatures ahead. He narrowed his eyes at what he saw. Standing in a horizontal line in front of them were two demi-humans and a magical beast of sorts. It seemed they were waiting for Alred and the others since they stood a fair distance from each other allowing themselves to have some space for each of their battles.

 _"So they baited us out, huh."_

With that one fleeting thought, Alred glanced at the beasts in front of him and assessed which one would be most easy to finish with his rapier.

"I've got the lizard."

Quaiesse nodded in acknowledgement.

"Then, I'll take the magic beast."

"Hey Captain why don't we switch I think you'll fit right in with this troll."

"Shut your mouth, Mikhail or I'll shut it for you."

With those parting words, the three warriors ran out to their respective targets. When Alred made it to where the lizard was their eyes locked for a brief moment. After that moment of eye contact, the lizardman ran his eyes down Alred's frame.

"Hmm, young warrior state your name."

Alred snorted at this audacious statement.

"The likes of lizardmen aren't worthy to hear my name."

"Hmph. Arrogant, I see. You'd best dispense with that attitude if you want to survive an encounter with Nazarick. You're lucky that I'm your opponent, you have a fighting chance. That's a lot better than what most get."

 _"Tch, what a load of rubbish. He probably thinks that having strong allies makes him just as strong. I'll end this quick and shut this reptile up."_

As he mocked the lizard in his thoughts, Alred prepared to activate his time-stop. His grip on his rapier tightened, as the time-stop took effect. For a brief moment a shock-wave like sound seemed to burst through the air, and then all was still. The molecules in the air hung suspended, the sound of the fighting armies ceased, and the enemies in front of Alred ceased. Alred smirked as he thought of the power within his hands.

 _"That's right. As long as I have this rapier, no enemy can defeat me. Even those monsters at the si-"_

A few short moments after his time-stop took effect. The tranquility of Alred's world was suddenly intruded upon by the sounds of heavy combat. The monsters who had struck fear into the hearts of all present by simply clashing into each other had continued to move despite Alred's time-stop ability.

"N-No way!"

The shock Alred received from this event was so great that he had spoken out loud. His knees quivered as he witnessed his only lifeline in a fight with those monsters being cut in half.

Was this all he amounted to in the end? Was he really this far below those monsters? Then what was the point of all his hard work? Did his title as 2nd Seat of the Black Scripture even mean anything anymore?

As Alred struggled to push back the recurring questions in his head, a terrifying thought suddenly struck him still. The chaos in his head ceased, and now only one question remained.

Was the lizard able to move in his world as well?

Compared to the threat of the monsters who were off fighting amongst each other in their own world, the threat of the lizardman that Alred was currently engaging seemed to be more pressing for the time being.

With a new found caution in his step, Alred slowly approached the lizard. Alred's foot inched closer and closer to the lizardman, but he remained absolutely still. Even so, Alred remained vigilant. This was because he knew that certain types of gear would only allow one to escape time-stop when a certain proximity between the caster and the item had been reached. In fact this was the kind of item that the other members of the Black Scripture had, with the exception of Adequin.

And sure enough, Alred's suspicions were proved correct when the lizard made a wide downwards slash motion the moment Alred had entered his range. Expecting this, Alred immediately jumped backwards to avoid the blade's trajectory. Unfortunately what he did not expect was that a large and fast burst of ice would suddenly explode from the blade. The attack enveloped Alred like a beast swallowing his prey, and Alred was blown away. When the fog that rose because of the ice finally cleared, Alred stood a few meters away from his previous spot. There were several parts of his body that had frozen over due to the extreme cold, and were it not for his special gear he would likely have been killed by that strike.

Alred and the lizard merely stared at each other as they heard the sounds of cracking, and time once again began to move.

 _"Damn it!"_

"Hmm, still alive?"

The lizard's voice reached Alred's ears like a tune specifically designed to mock him.

"Shut your mouth you cretin. You think any weapon you have can hold a candle to the Six God's Treasures?!"

"Hmm, I see. That armor must truly be of some good quality if it was capable of defending against my improved Frost Pain."

"Hmph! Of course it's of good quality the gods themselves wore this when they still walked this earth."

While Alred continued to speak to the lizard in a condescending manner, inwardly he was quite frantic.

 _"That attack just now was way too strong. If he can use it repeatedly I'm not going to survive this fight!"_

Despite his panic, however, Alred kept his tone of superiority to bait the lizard into mocking him so that he could buy time for his weapon's ability to recharge. But unfortunately his opponent wasn't a regular demi-human.

Without wasting a beat he lunged at Alred with a stab. Which Alred only barely managed to parry. The sudden attack had caught Alred off guard and thus, he wasn't even able to launch a counter-attack and was forced ever backwards as the lizard kept the pressure on by throwing swing after swing.

 _"Shit! He didn't fall for it? What kind of demi-human is this?! Doesn't he want to gloat about his strength?!"_

Alred, who had never fought a monster weaker than him in his life, was greatly surprised that there was a non-human creature that didn't have a superiority complex. Perhaps if Alred had more experience fighting lesser creatures like goblins, or toadmen he would have known that not all non-humans were extremely proud and the battle would have gone differently. But unfortunately, ever since his birth Alred was trained for nothing but fighting threats that were significantly more powerful than him. And more often than not, these kinds of creatures were the arrogant type. Thus, Alred was unprepared to fight a methodical and powerful demi-human.

Forced to remain on the defensive, Alred could do nothing but count down the seconds till his ability would activate again. Fortunately for him, the lizard kept his attacks light. It seems he was merely probing Alred, but not quite going for the kill.

 _"Hmph! He'll soon regret not killing me as fast as possible."_

The light attacks from the lizard continued to the point where Alred was starting to get annoyed at his opponent's lack of vigor.

 _"Is this punk not taking me seriously?!"_

Anger flared up within Alred, and he tightened his grip on his weapon. But this anger soon dissipated when he felt the recharge time for his weapon end. Despite knowing better, Alred briefly let himself grin a little.

 _"This lizard probably lost all concern for my time-stop because he has counter-measures. He won't expect my long-range attack."_

The reason Alred was 2nd Seat in the Black Scripture was because none of his comrades had counter-measures for when he decided to utilize time-stop to cast spells that were nigh-impossible to evade. Thus, only Adequin who possessed the necessary counter-measures could be said to be stronger than him. Thus, Alred had absolute confidence that he could still beat the lizardman despite its ability to negate his time-stop within a certain range

With these thoughts in his head, Alred moved to activate his weapon skill. But before he could even so much as lift a finger, the lizard had raised his sword high and seemed to have activated some sort of skill.

Thinking that the skill was the same one the lizard had attacked with him in their first engagement, Alred smirked.

 _"That won't make it to me. It's already too late for you to stop it!"_

With those thoughts, Alred activated his weapon skill and the world once again stopped moving. The lizard stood in front of him, unmoving, with sword raised high. His skill had activated halfway, but failed to reach its target in time. And thus the lizard was now at his mercy.

Or at least that was what should have happened.

But instead, blue lights appeared all over Alred's weapon and the time-stop failed to take effect. Alred had no way of knowing this, but the blue lights appeared in all the spots wherein his rapier had made contact with Frost Pain.

 _"Wha-"_

Alred didn't even have time to question what just happened before a large shadow appeared over him.

In an instant, the lizard had capitalized on Alred's shock and closed the distance. With his blade raised high still, the lizard activated another skill once again. And this time Alred knew exactly what the skill was going to be, but unfortunately he also knew he wouldn't be able to avoid the coming blow.

And thus, Alred was once again enveloped by an icy blow, but this time he had also been hit dead on by the blade itself. Despite his high-ranking gear, Alred was still human. When the mist finally cleared away, his kneeling figure was revealed. Moments later his limp, almost lifeless, body fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut and he faded in and out of consciousness as he struggled to hang on to life. But the blow he had received was too severe to recover from, after a brief moment of pointless struggle Alred finally succumbed to his wounds and fell into eternal sleep. The last words he heard before leaving the mortal world for good was the lizardman muttering the words "So, that was the new skill Ainz-sama told me about."

* * *

"Ohh! Zaryusu-dono was correct. If we just let out killing intent from over here, you would come to us on your own!"

Hamsuke spoke in delightful tones as she stared at the blonde man who had just appeared in front of her. The man in turn returned her stare. His pink eyes locking with Hamsuke's own black ones. His stare lingered and they gazed at each other for an unnaturally long time.

Hamsuke, who had lived for 200 whole years, had locked eyes with many kinds of creatures. But to this day she had only met one other person whose gaze evoked the same feeling as the man in front of her right now. This person was the Guardian of the 6th Floor, Aura Bella Fiora. Both their gazes seemed to send a kind of chill down her back. This chill was not a chill born of fear, but rather an instinctual sense of foreboding. Of course the gaze of the floor guardian was much more powerful than the man before her, but his was similar enough to make her more cautious of him than she would have been if he didn't posses the gaze.

Hamsuke narrowed her eyes at the man and spoke.

"This one is known as Hamsuke, What is your name?"

For a while only silence flowed in between the two creatures, but before long the man responded.

"Quaiesse, but soon enough you'll know me as master."

"Ho?~ This one regrets to inform you, but there is only one being in the entire world that this one acknowledges as 'master'. And unfortunately, even if you had a thousand lifetimes to attempt to surpass him, you would never be able to do so."

Contrary to her arrogant words, Hamsuke nervously stepped back and lengthened the distance that in her eyes seemed to grow shorter by the second. The man and Aura's image overlapped in Hamsuke's mind instilling into her some apprehension, and a small amount of fear. She vividly remembered Aura's vocation and thought about what would happen to her if she was hit by something similar to the misty breath that the dark elf had once used on her. Even if the man's version was only half as potent, would she be able to resist it? Or would she fall to the magic that gave creatures such as her unnatural senses of loyalty and attraction to its caster.

As Hamsuke anxiously thought about how she would deal with the unexpected nature of her enemy, he suddenly widened his eyes and seemingly used some sort of magic or attack. Hamsuke's entire body tensed up and she shut her eyes tight as she braced herself for the overwhelming pressure that she would soon face. A second passed, then two. But nothing happened, and the world remained fine even after a whole five seconds had passed, Hamsuke was fully expecting something to happen and yet her world remained still.

"Eh? Was there nothing to worry abou-"

Hamsuke, inched an eyelid open. The moment she opened her vision her gaze once again met with the man's own. Only this time the experience was nothing like how it was before. The moment their eyes locked, Hamsuke's senses were assaulted by a swirling vortex of pressure. Hamsuke who had let down her guard was unable to resist as the torrent of pressure slowly eroded her will and started to instill false emotions into her being. But just before she was completely consumed by the pressure, the image of her master flashed through her head and a new emotion rose within her. This was her immense loyalty to her lord which overrode whatever foul magic was currently attempting to ensnare her.

"ARGHHHH!"

Hamsuke let out a loud almost bestial cry as she wrestled with the foreign presence invading her soul. After what seemed like forever, she finally managed to completely drive it out, and she was left in a disheveled state. Her breathing was heavy, and her body covered in sweat. She didn't notice it, but several sigils on her body had lit up in order to aid her in defending against the mind-affecting magic that had previously besieged her senses.

The man, who held a new sense of urgency in his eyes, quickly raised his hand and pointed it towards the sweat drenched Hamsuke. In that instant, a blinding light erupted from the symbols etched onto the ring and Hamsuke was unable to see anything that was happening in front of her. In the next moment, Hamsuke now stood in front of a large green monster. Fittingly, Hamsuke who was an overgrown hamster now found herself facing off against a similarly overgrown lizard.

Gigant Basilisk. Hamsuke instantly recognized this lizard as the same monster that her master had once fell in a single blow. But unfortunately, Hamsuke knew very well that had her master not been present she would have likely lost to the Gigant Basilisk. While Hamsuke's tail could penetrate through the monster's scales, she, unfortunately, had no way of defending against its petrifying gaze. She wasn't even sure if she was capable of surviving its acidic blood.

But things were different now, she was no longer the same ignorant creature she was there. Since being taken into Nazarick, Hamsuke had learned a great deal of warrior techniques from the skillful lizardman, Zaryusu, she had received a set of armor far superior to her bare skin. And she had witnessed many mind blowing shows of power from her betters at the Great Tomb of Nazarick. After being blessed with so many boons, Hamsuke could not possibly disgrace her master and the good fortune he'd shown her by losing in battle to a mere lizard.

"I can do this."

This simple thought went through Hamsuke's mind and she repeated it to herself over and over again, chanting it like a mantra. Before long, the Gigant Basilisk charged at Hamsuke. In response, Hamsuke quickly leapt to the side. She reared her tail behind her and prepared to launch a thrust to test the basilisk's hide, but before she could do anything the Gigant Basilisk unleashed its petrification stare and Hamsuke was instantly turned into stone. She was unable to even put up any resistance as her soft fur was transformed, along with her armor, into a hard but brittle material.

Or at least that was what should have happened.

Instead, the basilisk's gaze landed harmlessly on the little ball of fur and another one of the blue sigils on Hamsuke's armor lit up. A wide smile formed on Hamsuke's lips and she made her move.

"[Sense Weakness]"

As a result of the martial art, Hamsuke's perception expanded and she noticed that the lizard's temple scales seemed to be a tad softer than usual. Pouncing on the opportunity, Hamsuke quickly ran to the basilisk's side in what seemed like an attempt to ram into it. The basilisk, deciding to meet Hamsuke's challenge began to turn around to face Hamsuke's challenge. But at the moment that it exposed its vulnerable temple, Hamsuke activated yet another Martial Art.

"[Piercing Strike]!"

Hamsuke's long tail smashed deep into the basilisk's temple. Its scales, that were as tough as mythril, were unable to hold up against Hamsuke's ferocious strike. The tail went through with relative ease, and huge amounts of blood spurted from where the basilisk had been struck. The acidic blood landed all over the ground leaving large stains on the ground. Hamsuke slowly withdrew her tail which was now covered in the black gooey substance that was the basilisk's blood. Despite the nature of said blood, Hamsuke's tail was undamaged.

"T-This one did it! Th-The monster is dead!"

Hamsuke had a huge smile on her face as she stared at the living-or in this case dead- proof of her improvement.

"Hmph. Now that your pet is dead, what will you do?"

Hamsuke taunted the blonde man who had made a mockery of her only moments ago. She turned around to face him again, but what she saw when she did was not the man but instead a group of 8 wolves running at her. She swept her eyes around the area but was unable to see the man. Deciding to put his discovery as her secondary priority, Hamsuke turned her gaze to the wolves rushing at her. They were weak. Though there were 8 of them, each were significantly weaker than the basilisk and, by extension, weaker than her. If she were to use her master's terminology in describing then then she would say that they were merely level 20.

Without even using martial arts Hamsuke swept her tail horizontally, aiming to mow down the wolves. Her tail which moved at speeds that the wolves could hardly even see, slammed into and cut through 7 of the wolves failing to get the last one which jumped over the tail's trajectory. Sensing that it's life was hanging on a string, the wolf had a sudden burst of energy as it desperately ran towards Hamsuke attempting to reach her and land an attack. But before it could close the distance, Hamsuke's tail looped around and struck it right in its belly tearing through the tender flesh and causing blood to splatter all over the place. The light in the wolf's eye slowly dimmed as its life force waned, and its body grew limp.

In the end, the only part of the wolf that managed to reach Hamsuke was the small fleck of its blood that landed on Hamsuke's nose.

"Blonde warrior! Where are you?! Show yourself!"

Hamsuke called out to nothingness, hoping to catch a sign of her opponent. But all remained still, and it seemed as if Hamsuke was truly alone.

Did he run? Was he awed by her power? As Hamsuke would soon find out, the answer to her questions was neither of the two.

"Basilisk."

A voice suddenly spoke from behind Hamsuke; a voice that Hamsuke was able to recognize.

"Ah, Blonde Warrior! You have re- Eh?"

Hamsuke paused, cutting her words short. This was because the blonde man who she had been expecting to see behind her was still nowhere to be seen. As if to mock her confusion, the voice spoke once again from behind her.

"Moonlight Wolf."

Hamsuke turned around once again in an attempt to find the man. As she turned around, she noticed that her body responded in an uncharacteristically slow and stiff manner. As she pondered this, she finally noticed that her tail was emitting a gray light that seemed to be the source of her fatigue. Panicking slightly, Hamsuke tried to move her tail and shake it a bit. When her tail didn't respond, Hamsuke's panic elevated and she desperately tried to move it once more. But before she could attempt again, she noticed that now her nose was emitting a similar light and she was now unable to even turn her head or speak. Hamsuke simply stood there like a statue, unable to move an inch.

When Hamsuke had completely lost all her control over her senses, the man finally appeared in front of her with a chameleon perched on his shoulder. In one hand he held a blood stained knife, and on the other hand he held out his palm which had a single line cut across it.

On his fingers were two rings that were glowing with Magical Energy. The glow was akin to the glow Zaryusu's Frost Pain had when it used its skill.

Approaching Hamsuke, the man held out his open palm and let his blood fall onto Hamsuke's face. He then said.

"[Spiritual Arts: Erode Spirit], [Spiritual Arts: Takeover]"

In an instant, Hamsuke was once again assaulted by the oppressive energy that had attempted to invade her once before. And unfortunately, Hamsuke was no longer capable of defending herself from it. Her spirit was slowly eroded and she felt her conciousness sinking into the depths of darkness, never to be found again.

 **"Hmph, what a pathetic creature you are. To be so easily taken over by such magic. Were it not for my god's decision I would have eroded your mind long ago."**

Just when Hamsuke thought she would never resurface again, a voice reached her ears as if pulling her from the depths she had sunk into.

"Oho~ Orb. You're still there? You've been silent for so long that this one had thought you disappeared."

 **"Hmph, I don't expect an inferior creature like you to understand but I absolutely refuse to disappear from this world until I witness the conclusion of the divine one's saga. For that reason, and for that reason alone I'm going to help you out just this once. I hope you don't get the wrong idea"**

"Orb... would you perhaps be what Narberal-sama and the other maids refer to as 'tsundere'"

 **"Hmmm. While I still don't quite understand that term, I can safely say that if you think that is what I am then you are most definitely mistaken... Now then. I have taken care of that rabble, the rest I will leave to you. Don't disappoint me again or I may have to permanently steal the front seat to witnessing the divine one's glory. I've been gracious enough thus far to allow you that seat for as long as I have."**

With those parting words from the orb of death, Hamsuke slowly regained her consciousness. When she came to she saw in front of her the blonde man who had ensnared her soul, only he no longer resembled a man. His body was bent and broken in so many ways it was hard to even realize that he was once human.

"What could have possibly done this to him?"

Hamsuke's question was soon answered when she heard the roars of a familiar monster. Hamsuke's head snapped up and in front of her she saw the flying figures of two skeletal dragons as they flew into the place where the miasma of death lay most thick; toward the battlefield where the two armies lay, still locked in close combat. With the absence of the three bodyguards, the Black Scripture's formation was slowly falling apart as their vanguards grew more and more weathered. It seemed the battle was coming to its end.

"Ah! Hamsuke-san. It seems you have defeated your opponent as well!"

Hamsuke turned around to see the tall figures of Zaryusu and Go walking toward her. Zaryusu's armor was remarkably unstained which stood out due to the large hole that was visible in the center of Go's own protective wear. Though she noticed this, Hamsuke didn't say anything out of respect for the troll's pride and the fact that she herself had performed in a dissatisfactory manner. Facing Zaryusu with a sheepish look, Hamsuke spoke in solemn tones.

"No, you are mistaken Zaryusu-dono. This one had in fact shamed the name of my lord. Were it not for the [Orb of Death]'s interference this one would have been subjugated by the enemy. This one has failed to make use of Zaryusu-dono's teachings."

Hamsuke lowered her head in remorse. Zaryusu's eyes widened for a bit before settling back down. His mouth twisting into a grin, he said.

"I see. But Hamsuke-san, I actually think this was a good occurrence. It is always better to fight a strong opponent and lose than fight a weak one and win. One can learn and achieve more when accomplishing the first one. Compared to myself who had fought a fool that was too reliant on his weapon, you performed much more admirably."

Go Gin, who stood beside Zaryusu, nodded in approval.

"Indeed. It is in facing a stronger opponent that we warriors find our worth. Hold your head high and proud, Hamsuke-san. You have failed nobody today."

Though Hamsuke was still dejected upon losing her very first individual battle since learning new skills, the words of the seasoned warriors before her still did much to lighten her mood. She raised her head up once again, her face showing of a brighter expression. Zaryusu and Go Gin simultaneously broke out into wide grins as they saw Hamsuke brighten up.

As if targeting this silent moment, a large tremor suddenly intruded on their conversation. The ground all around them shook, and it was if the world itself was bellowing in anger. It wasn't until several cracks had started forming on the surface of the plains that the tremor finally ceased. The three creatures didn't even need to look to know who had caused the shaking.

"On that note shall we join the rest of the army now? Hamsuke-san, Zaryusu-san."

The two nodded at Go and they rushed off to the main army.

* * *

Within the span of the last half an hour, Elias had gone through a large variety of emotions. Wariness upon sensing an unknown enemy leak its presence all over the battlefield. Anger at seeing the foolhardy 2nd Seat's response to the situation. Irritation at himself for not being able to send a messenger in time to stop them. And finally despair upon noticing the light in his right earring go out.

Aides who knew him well were surprised when the normally uptight and stern commander stumbled, almost falling to his knees, all of a sudden. Aides who knew him better stood in place with a dumbstruck expression, then shedding tears soon after. Throughout this the commander himself was thrown into emotional turmoil.

 _"If Aniue died then does that mean the other two are gone as well? This will be a disaster for holding the line?"_

 **A/N: For those who don't know. Aniue is an archaic and formal way to address your older brother in Japan.**

These were the initial thoughts that went through his head, but almost as quickly as they came they were replaced by an angry, bitter thought.

 _"You bastard! Aniue just died and that's the first thing you think of?"_

In this way, the two voices in Elias' head answered each other in a never ending back and forth.

 _"I have to think about the country right now!"_

 _"Bullshit, that's just your excuse to escape from the reality!"_

 _"What's grieving about it going to do? It'll just get me and my army killed!"_

 _"Why don't you think about the reason you made it as far as you did in the first place!"_

 _"I know okay! But right now I have to look at the bigger picture!"_

 _"If it weren't for Aniue you wouldn't even be standing here right now. You'd be back home with dad being forced to live the pathetic life of some noble with a stick up your ass. You ungrateful little fu-"_

"I GET IT OKAY! JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Breaking away from his guilt, Elias shouted out loud like some sort of mad man, before suddenly breaking into tears. His face scrunched up as the bitter tears kept streaming down his face.

The aides who weren't in the know grew more and more perplexed as their lord showed behavior that was uncharacteristic of him while the aides who knew better simply looked on with pained looks in their eyes. They clearly wanted to comfort their lord, but, having served him for so long, they were aware of his temperament and held themselves back.

For a long time, Elias just stood there letting his tears fall. And similarly the aides just watched on and a few others wiped off their own tears. But this sad yet fragile atmosphere was soon shattered by the hateful roar of the undead. Elias' head snapped to the direction of the noise that had interrupted the moment. When he saw the two giant forms of the skeletal dragons he was initially shocked, but soon enough his shock was replaced with annoyance. Elias gritted his teeth in anger. His fists clenched, his eyes saw nothing but red, and a visible aura of hate took shape around him.

 _"Fuck! Can't I get a break?!"_

Similar to a child throwing a tantrum, Elias lifted an armored foot and stomped down in anger. At the exact moment that Elias' foot made contact with the soil, a large tremor shook the ground. This did not deter Elias who kept his posture upright with sheer muscle strength, a testament to his adamantite level strength, and kept his foot on course. When his foot hit the soil, however, things changed. The unnaturally weak soil caved when pressured by both the tremor and Elias' strength, and allowed Elias' foot to slip into it. This caused Elias to lose his footing and as a result tumble over and land face flat on the ground, where he spent the rest of the tremor. It wasn't until the earth's shaking stopped that Elias stood up.

 _"Fucking hell."_

Elias' mood had grown even worse after he made a fool of himself and fell. As Elias was standing up, however, his shame and anger was washed away and a fresh thought hit him. He looked at the soil beneath him, and the depth of the crack. He was strong, but was he this strong? Did his strength really go so far that he could leave such a large crack on the earth's surface itself?

He then looked at the vast plains stretched out before him, or more precisely, he looked out at the innumerable cracks that had newly appeared on it as a result of the events on this day. Vivid images of undead rising from the soil on these very plains every day surged up from within Elias' mind. Feeling curious all of a sudden, he knelt down and ran a hand across the soil.

 _"Weak."_

With that single thought in his head, Elias seemed to have come to a great many conclusions and as if in testament to this he called out to one of the aides near him.

"Send a message to the black scripture. Tell them to use as much wide scale destruction magic as they can, and to focus it on the ground beneath the army."

"Understood."

The aide he had spoken to immediately got to work and scurried off to the backline of the army. Elias turned to the second aide near him.

"You. Go to the crates we stored in the back of the encampment. Find and collect all the arrows in thie crate labeled 'Crescent Lake' I want you to distribute it to our archers. Tell them to fire as many volleys of it as they can, when the Black Scripture starts casting powerful magic."

This aide, much like the first, hurried to accomplish his commander's orders. Elias stood from his vantage point and continued to observe the battle in silence.

 _"Now then, how do I deal with the Skeletal Dragons... they might mess up the plan if I leave them alo-"_

As if reading his mind, the Black Scripture warriors pulled of a combined effort and took down the rampaging Skeletal Dragons. One of them was dragged down by the divine chain before being destroyed by a large axe. And the other was simply erased from existence by a powerful spell of the 7th tier.

"Hmm, I suppose it's to be expected from the Black Scripture. It seems even mythical heights such as 7th Tier magic is attainable with the panoply of gods."

With his last worry laid to rest, Elias resigned to watching the rest of the battle unfold. And what a happy experience it was for him. His plan had worked perfectly and without a hitch. The undead warriors who possessed little in the way of intelligence were not able to notice that the ground beneath them was being slowly eroded by their enemies, and thus they had not been able to react properly when the Black Scripture's magic finally caused the ground beneath the enemy army to cave in.

With a new high ground advantage, the Black Scripture rained down hell on the undead army. And this time they weren't alone. Explosive arrows blotted out the sun, as they returned the undead to their graves. Large rocks cast wide shadows as they came crashing down onto the undead and returned them to the earth, and swarms of angels entered the pit in order to hinder the undead's attempts to crawl back up.

Elias was ecstatic. Whereas before their chances of survival was dubious, things now were looking brighter. If their army could properly utilize the forced change in terrain then it would be the Sorcerer Kingdom's army that would lose and not them. Pride and a sense of satisfaction filled Elias as he thought about the utter reversal in their situation that he had just pulled off.

"Aniue. Your death was not in vain. I swear on my pride that I will not lose this battle. It may have been at the cost of your life, but today humanity will triumph over evil!"

As these thoughts went through Elias' head, a loud voice suddenly cried out to him.

"Commander! Look out!"

In a gut reflex response to the voice, Elias turned his head up. And he wished he never did. If he were given a chance to redo this moment, he would not have looked upwards. Instead he would have ran away as far and as fast as he possibly could.

A loud splat resounded through the encampment as something big and heavy landed on the ground, kicking up large amounts of dust in the process.

"OOOOOOAAAAAHHHH"

It let out a bloodcurdling scream as it stood on the crushed corpse of what was once the commander of the 1st Knight Legion. The creature held a wavy-bladed flamberge in one hand and a large tower-shield in the other. Its massive 2.3 meter body was completely encased in pitch black armor. And a distinct aura of death and fear radiated from it's body. As the surrounding people stared at it in fear, one word made it through their chaotic thoughts.

 _"Death Knight"_

* * *

"Hmmm, Nigredo how's the battle at the Katze Plains going?"

Ainz Ooal Gown was currently standing in the middle of a clearing in the forest, and all around him were piles of dead corpses. All of which had the Holy Kingdom banner emblazoned onto their armor. Next to him was the faceless information specialist, Nigredo.

"Ainz-sama it seems that during the time we spent lying in wait for any possible reinforcements, the situation at the Katze Plains has turned dire."

Ainz's expression couldn't change but if it was capable of doing so then he would have had a look of dumb shock pasted on his features.

"How can that be? Our troops were clearly superior in both gear and overall power. I even sent in Hamsuke and the other demi-human warriors... Don't tell me another player has shown up?!"

"Please do not be worried Ainz-sama. No such threat has shown up."

"Then why?"

"It seems the enemy has quite an ingenious strategist. From what I can gather, he used explosion magic to exploit the weakness of the ground. He caused the ground around our army to fall down, and they are now stuck in a pit and are being bombarded by attacks from above."

"Weakness of the ground?..."

Ainz's words trailed off as everything clicked into place.

"The undead rise and fall on a daily basis on those plains so the soil couldn't have been very strong to begin with. And because Mare and the other guardians are fighting there right now, I imagine the ground isn't holding up so well. Their commander probably noticed that and took advantage of it. I see, so there were people like that here as well, huh? I bet Punitto Moe-san would have loved to have a battle of wits with him."

Ainz waved a hand towards Nigredo.

"Nigredo, open up a gate to the Katze Plains. Find the closest vantage point possible. Make sure it overlooks the enemy command center."

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

A few moments later, Nigredo floated her crystal ball over to Ainz.

"It is finished Ainz-sama."

"I see."

Ainz cast a [Gate] targeting the location Nigredo had shown him through the ball. As soon as the purple portal formed, Nigredo made to enter but she was stopped by an outstretched hand from Ainz.

"I just got an idea. Wait for a moment Nigredo."

Ainz turned around to the pile of lifeless corpses made up of the would be reinforcements. Giving their bodies a once over, he raised a magic wreathed hand in the air and said.

"[Create Middle Tier Undead: Death Knight]."

As those words left Ainz's mouth, a black wisp of energy shot from his hand into the corpse of a female paladin. In the paladin's hands was a sword that glowed white with holy energy, and all over her armor were several ornaments that symbolizes holiness.

This was the justice fanatic, Remedios, turned into a corpse. But soon enough she wasn't even that anymore. The wisp of black entered her body and transformed her from the inside into the giant hulking monster known as "Death Knight". Ainz repeated this skill 11 more times until he had converted a good chunk of the most powerful, most holy paladins into the most vile creature imaginable. The embodiment if death itself.

 _"Ah, the irony. But then again it's not as if they don't deserve it. These fanatics preach about justice yet arbitrarily decide that anything that isn't human is evil. Hmph, what a load of crap!"_

With those thoughts passing through his head, Ainz lead the squad of Death Knights as well as Nigredo through the still open [Gate]. When they emerged from the spell's shadowy depths, the scene around them had changed. Much like their last location there was a thick aura of death, but unlike their last location this one was a lot thicker. It also carried with it the scent of life just waiting to he snuffed out. This deadly combination sent shivers of joy down the backs of the supposedly unfeeling undead. And they began shifting their weight restlessly. Eager and excited to let loose and have some fun. Sensing this from the undead Ainz smirked, though it was unclear how he was able to do so with his undead face.

"You'll all have your fun soon enough."

Ainz stretched out a hand, and moments later it disappeared within his inventory. When it came out he carried with them a set of boorish looking gloves, which he promptly placed on his palms.

Behind him Nigredo's facial muscles twisted into what was barely recognizable as a frown.

"Ainz-sama, if I may he so bold as to ask. What do you hope to achieve by increasing your physical strength."

Ainz chuckled at Nigredo's confusion.

"Hmm, it seems you are not aware. Knowing Tabula-san I thought he might have imbued you with knowledge on matters like this, but I guess even Tabula-san leaves some things out. Watch closely Nigredo. What you are about to witness is a common ambush strategy we used to use against players with high detection skills."

With those words, Ainz cast multiple spells.

"[Herculean Strength]! [Hawk Vision]! [Appolo's Accuracy]![Guided projectile]!"

As his body was wrapped in several auras of magic, Ainz grabbed onto one of the Death Knights and using his increased strength stats he lifted it up. He then angled his head towards the enemy command center in the distance, seemingly trying to gauge something. And in the next moment he threw the hulking mass of flesh with all his strength. The Death Knight sailed high and far through the sky seemingly correcting its trajectory in mid-air. And in the next moment, it landed right where Ainz wanted it.

 _"Nice, if my enhanced vision didn't fail me, I just killed someone. I don't know who it was, but that command center is done for. Let's bombard the rest of the army shall we."_

With that passing thought, Ainz began launching the remaining Death Knights one by one until they had all landed on the enemy army. As the last one hit it's mark and crushed yet another human under its mass, a rapid clapping noise was heard. It was Nigredo.

"Splendidly done, Ainz-sama."

Despite himself, Ainz found himself feeling a little proud of his accuracy in pulling off the [Aerial Bombardment Ambush] tactic that had been created by Punitto Moe and popularized by Ainz Ooal Gown.

In his YGGDRASIL days, it had never been Ainz who threw the summons. This was because Ainz didn't have the necessary strength stats to throw accurately from a distance that was safe from all detection skills. So, when he succeeded on his first try, he had been quite pleased.

"Thank you for the praise, Nigredo. Now then let's go back to Nazarick shall we?"

Ainz cast another [Gate] and was about to step through it, but was stopped by Nigredo's voice.

"But Ainz-sama aren't you going to help Albedo-sama and the other guardians. It seems as if they're having some difficulty. With the numbers difference they should have the upper hand by now and yet the battle remains at a stalemate."

Ainz chuckled, for the second time that day, at Nigredo's words.

"Do not worry about it Nigredo. I told them to keep the fight as even as possible for as long as possible. At least until the enemy army had been significantly reduced."

Nigredo's facial features contorted into a frown once more.

"My deepest apologies, Ainz-sama. But I fail to understand the reason for all this."

"It's very simple Nigredo. I don't want even a single soldier from the Slane Theocracy to escape death. If Albedo's team one-sidedly crushed Demiurge and the others, then the Slane Theocracy knights would lose morale and immediately start running. While I don't think Albedo would allow even a single one of these insects to escape, it is still better to lessen the risk, no?"

Nigredo bowed deeply as Ainz finished his explanation.

"As expected of Ainz-sama, your keen insight and wisdom is truly unfathomable."

"U-Umu."

 _"Well, if it's this much then any one of my guildmates would have thought of the same thing. Punitto Moe-san made sure to drill the basics into every single one of us so hard that we couldn't forget even if we tried. Haha, those were good times"_

Before he could fall too deep into reminiscing, Ainz decided to distract himself with a different matter.

"Now then. Let us go and see how our favorite Dragonoid is doing with your sister."

With those words, Ainz stepped through the open [Gate] and disappeared.

 **A/N: And that is that. This chapter was a lot of fun for me to write and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If perchance you did then leave a review, if you didn't then leave a review anyway. In short just give me a review! :). Oh, and if you haven't already then please follow or favorite my story because I like numbers.**

 **Review Response:**

 **PervySageChuck:**

 **Oh hey! I haven't seem you in forever. Chapter 2 was the last review you left if I remember correctly. I thought you forgot about my fic lol. Nice to see you've been keeping up with it.**

 **Hmm, well all I'll say is the hints/clues to the conclusion of Azazel's battle with Nazarick are non-existent(aside from the fact that everything is spiraling downwards for him rn) but the conclusion is actually something that connects to a certain comment made by Nigredo back in Volume 3.**

 **RyuujiVantek:**

 **Hmmm, fair enough I guess. It just really irks me that people automatically lump Azazel into that category, but whatever.**

 **SIDoragon:**

 **I imagine you're disappointed with the lack of Rubedo in this Chapter. But hey I am pretty hyped to write that scene so I'll join you in the chant.**

 **RU-BE-DO!**

 **RU-BE-DO!**

 **RU-BE-DO!**

 **MadDan90:**

 **I can't fathom why anybody would care about Thabim and his guys. Thabim shows up in four chapters total and we only have two moments of characterization for him. Not to mention his tribe which is full of nameless characters. Honestly, I'm disappointed in myself for the way he turned out. I wish I put more effort in fleshing out his character, as well as the other dragons.**

 **It's not that Zesshi and Azazel COULDN'T get a night, it's that they SHOULDN'T. I personally feel that I have not developed their relationship enough for sonething like that. And as much as I wanted the scene, I wasn't going to add it just for the sake of adding it. This is another disappointment I have with this fic. I wish I developed the Zesshi and Azazel relationship a little more. I tried to make some progress with that in Chapter 5 but It was a little iffy. A little too much at once and monologue heavy in my opinion.**

 **Also, yeah you are right. I underestimated the length of the last few events. This will get one more chapter before an epilogue.**

 **pwashington:**

 **Yup, that's kind of the point. Or rather, that's what his character is supposed to be like(I mean he is an actual teenager as was described in chapter 1). And then his realization of things no longer being a game is supposed to be part of the climax of this story. Regret is going to be a major theme next chapter. At least in regards to Azazel's internal monologue.**

 **InternalFire:**

 **As I said in a previous review response, it irks me that people automatically lump Azazel in with the characters in that category.**

 **I'm glad you like my writing. I look forward to see you in my next fic(which is already past the planning stages. I've been preparing for it for a good while now.) If I could trouble you to follow my account that would be appreciated(I like numbers)**

 **Yoh GUESt:**

 **As you can see you don't need to worry about that. Lol. I releases the last chapter quickly because I wanted to not because I was pressured. This time I didn't wanna release quickly( also I was busy with writing a script for our class play) so it took a little over 3 weeks to come out. I'm not one to cave in to pressure easily so don't worry about it**

 **Don Orbit:**

 **Everything you've said is actually conpletely correct. Wow.**

 **Shalltear Bloodfallen:**

 **Why did you put up with the story anyway? As far as I can tell you didn't really like it or enjoy it. So, why're you still here? I also don't think you enjoy OC's which makes me wonder again, "Why are you still here?"**

 **Well regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If my guess is right and you're all about Ainz wrecking things then the ending must have been fun for you. At least I hope it was. I certainly had fun writing it.**


	10. The Final Showdown

**Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord**

 **A/N: Heya! Did ya'll miss me? No? Oh... okay. But seriously though I have good reasons for taking this long.**

 **1.) The month of February was really busy for me since school ended early March so all the projects due dates were coming up and I had to prepare for finals and all that so no work was done for that whole month.**

 **2.) I went on another two-week foreign visit! This time to Singapore with my mom. It was quite fun. Sentosa is a great place for tourists, loads of stuff to do.**

 **3.) And the most major reason that dragged this on till now was... I got hooked on a bunch of different novels and binge read them all back to back. I only started writing in earnest around late April. And even then I'd only write for a few hours at night soo it took a while. But hey what matters is that we made it and here we are. So without further ado, please enjoy my last chapter(not counting the epilogue.)**

 **P.S. Yes, I know the title is lazy but goddamn it I suck at naming things. Cut me some slack.**

* * *

In a remote location underground was a place with countless trees, which bloomed pink, dotting the lands, and from these trees fell tiny pink petals. Revolving over and over again as they sailed towards the ground in a roundabout manner, tracing a seemingly random trajectory. Some landed softly on the wide expanse of grass which seemed to embrace them as they were immersed between the countless blades of grass, others plopped into the river which swallowed them whole, dragging them to the very bottom where they were allowed to rest.

At certain moments, a swift breeze would suddenly arrive from nothing and lift up many of the petals that were mid-fall. Perched on the wings of nature these petals would soar through the sky before stopping at a point in the air and scattering once more as they returned to where they came.

Despite the absence of creatures that could cause it there was a very distinct cricket sound that came from every nook and cranny of the land, seemingly out of nowhere. Occasionally, a sound like fish jumping would come from the normally quiet river and yet the culprit would be impossible to find even if one stretched their eyes to its very limits.

All these sights and more were a part of the veritable utopia that the 41 Members of Ainz Ooal Gown had created. This was the scenery from the inviolable 8th Floor of Nazarick. The Cherry Blossom Sanctum. A peaceful, tranquil place. With many serene beauties for the eye to behold. Everything from the scenery to the atmosphere had a certain feel to it. This was undoubtedly art. Art of the highest most prestigious order. Or at least that's what it's normally like.

Up till today there had only been a single occurrence wherein the divinity of this sacred land was tainted with the ugliness of conflict. But today, it is to happen yet again. The Cherry Blossom Sanctum will once more be turned into a place of battle. The peace will be broken, and the natural order disrupted. But as it was the last time, fate will certainly not abandon this land. As they had done before the defenders of this land would certainly drive away those who would be impudent enough to track their filthy footsteps into this haven.

These were Aureole Omega's thoughts as she watched the intruders enter her floor. And she carried these with her as she placed her utmost faith in the champion her lord-no, her God had sent to punish the fools who trespassed on his land. Aureole Omega watched with certainty as Rubedo, she who had been hailed even stronger than Touch-Me who among the Gods was particularly potent, approached the enemies.

* * *

"Shit! Fuck! Fucking damnit! Fuck it all to hell!"

A string of expletives left Azazel's mouth as yet another attack found its mark on his body. Following the attack's impact on Azazel's bare skin, were bursts of fire caused by the magic imbued into the blade that struck him.

Behind Azazel, yet another patch of grass was turned into a pile of ash and more of the cherry blossom trees caught on fire.

If one were to view the rest of the surroundings they would see several areas with similar scenery. This was because Azazel and the Red-Headed Girl had repeated similar exchanges several times. Azazel would attempt to make some distance, but the redhead would instantly close in with an attack.

Once again attempting to flee, Azazel ran backwards while keeping an eye out for the next attack. Just as he expected the lightning-fast attack soon arrived. The movements of the girl in front of him were so superior to his, he couldn't even track them properly. This would remain to be the case as he saw several images of different attacks heading his way. Not knowing which one to block, Azazel picked one that was aiming at his vitals and hoped he'd get it correctly this time. Unfortunately, fate was not on his side as he had once again chosen the wrong afterimage to follow. A fresh cut appeared on the surface of his skin and more flames once again accompanied the girl's sword slash. It seemed that she was a Flame Swordsman of some sort.

This time Azazel could not keep his footing and he collapsed. As soon as Azazel fell, the image of his own death came over him as he felt extremely potent killing intent sharpened to a tiny point coming at him from the front.

Azazel grit his teeth and closed his eyes in preparation to take the impact. However, just before he was hit he felt two comparatively smaller aura's flare up and charge at the girl. He opened his eyes and saw the attacking figures of Zesshi and Adequin.

Zesshi's body and scythe was enveloped in a deathly black aura as she charged towards the girl. Zesshi was moving at a speed faster than anything Azazel had ever seen her move at.

Charging in from behind the girl was Adequin covered in a glistening white aura his spear had completely transformed into light as he thrust it in front of him.

Although it shouldn't have been possible, Adequin was moving at an even faster rate than Zesshi. It seemed that his spear and special attributes enhanced his speed a great deal.

On one end was a torrent of chaotic dark energy, and on the other end was orderly swirling holy energy. These two polar opposite forces struck the girl at the same point, pouring their energy forward with the girl as the bridge. The opposing energies mixed and combined with each other until a point of equilibrium was formed around the girl.

It was a truly breathtaking attack. One that required the highest degree of skill and martial mastery. Any warrior who witnessed it would have fallen to his knees in awe at its grandeur.

But unfortunately in the face of the giant wall that was the sheer difference between their stats, technique meant nothing. The two were simply incapable of hurting the girl. This was made evident when their aura's cleared, and standing there unharmed, and unperturbed was the enemy that should have fallen.

Both Zesshi and Adequin stood stock-still with mouths agape, unable to believe that the best of their efforts had failed to leave even a tiny scratch. The girl, not seeming to care, brought up her sword in order to claim their lives.

The moment the girl moved, Azazel sprang to his feet and charged her. He transformed into his dragon form, and turned Mjolnir into a hammer. With a mighty roar he activated a racial skill.

"[Dragon Fist]!"

Contrary to its name this skill did not always come in the form of a punch. It was instead an enhancement skill that would greatly strengthen any given attack that its user had employed. Its name was drawn from its visuals instead of its effects, as whenever it was used the silhouette of a fist would take shape around the skill user's weapon. This was so that any players fighting the skill user would be made aware of the greater potency of whatever attack was coming at them, and thus it served as an advisory towards enemies to start dodging instead of blocking. But in this case this mechanic didn't even matter.

As Azazel swung his fist shrouded hammer at the girl expecting her to leap away and give him time to get Zesshi away from here, he was once again stunned when the girl took the full might of the attack with a single hand.

The high-level skill that was on par with super-tier spells was stopped by the girl's open palm. Azazel tried to pull away and attempt another strike, but to his surprise he found himself unable to wrench the hammer from her grasp. At first his eyes narrowed, and he doubled his efforts to remove his weapon from the girl. But suspicion soon gave way to confusion which in turn brought panic. He was unable to move his weapon away. His panic grew to even greater heights when he saw the metal at the front end of the hammer heat up and give off a reddish-glow not unlike that of the glow a piece of iron gave when it was being shaped into a sword by a blacksmith. In the next moment, Azazel saw cracks begin to spread through his hammer. Then suddenly it burst. A loud cracking sound sailed through the air. Azazel's jaw dropped. He stood there stupefied as he looked at the empty handle in his hands. He then looked at the bits and pieces of metal on the ground, and then the truth sank in.

The girl had crushed his hammer with her bare hands. This girl before him had broken the bounds of what he considered common sense so much that Azazel wasn't even all that surprised anymore when she stepped forward and the bits of metal that made contact with her were absorbed into her body.

"Yeah, of course she can do that, that makes perfect fucking sense..." he muttered under his breath. "For fuck's sake it's almost like she's a goddamned World It..." Azazel's words trailed off as a certain memory resurfaced from the depths of his mind.

It was from back when he spent his days meticulously scouring the web for any info he could find on Ainz Ooal Gown.

He remembered coming across a certain post on the YGGDRASIL Forums. The post was from a player who had been part of the 1500+ raid on Nazarick. It contained details about a certain NPC employed by Nazarick. The post detailed the account of a player who had survived the initial massacre caused by the special ability of the 8th Floor Guardian known as Victim. He said he survived because he was considered as the trump card of the invasion due to his ownership of an attack-type World Item and as such he was positioned near the back and instructed to hide his power for when the right moment came. But apparently when he tried to use the World Item to find an opening for his escape, one of the NPC's grabbed his weapon and smashed it to bits.

The man's story was so insane that the community refused to believe him, and he had been branded as nothing more than a whiny loser trying to find an excuse for the failure of their expedition.

'It was only natural he'd be ashamed' said the people

'It's not everyday that you completely fuck up a raid with a force numbering in the 1500's'

And just like that his absurd claims were snuffed out. Azazel himself had refused to believe that such nonsense was true and had discarded the information to the dregs of his mind.

 _"To think that that bastard was telling the truth! For fuck's sake how much more overpowered can Nazarick get?!"_

Quickly recollecting his wits, Azazel transformed the broken Mjolnir into a sword, while simultaneously grabbing Zesshi with his wings and jumping away from the girl.

Azazel didn't even spare a moment's though for Adequin who was left behind to serve as a buffer between Azazel and the girl.

It seems this action was enough to jerk both Adequin and Zesshi awake as Azazel felt Zesshi begin to squirm from within his wing that he had wrapped around her body. Adequin on the other hand in a show of tremendous bravery entered a defensive stance against the girl, who only moments ago had completely crushed his and Zesshi's combined might.

Azazel nodded approvingly before turning to observe the girl. Despite the distraction caused by a certain half-elf's muffled death threats from within his wing, Azazel managed to calmly analyze the girl.

It seemed she required time to stabilize after absorbing an item, as the girl was merely standing there while processing the boost in stats she had received from the broken pieces of Mjolnir.

Luckily for Azazel, this meant that he had ample time to assess his current situation in regards to Mjolnir without turning into a sitting duck for the girl.

Looking down, Azazel saw that while Mjolnir had managed to turn into a blade, it was a lot shorter than it used to be, not to mention the large decrease in blade density.

It seems that even when changing forms, Mjolnir could only use the amount of metal it had. Thankfully when Mjolnir was broken, it was in hammer state. The hammer's handle was quite thick and thus provided enough metal for a capable short sword.

Understanding his current state, Azazel returned his eyes to the girl. Only to find that she had yet to move from her spot. Truly it was one stroke of luck after another for Azazel.

"Perhaps, she requires a long time to cool down due to the fact that she's absorbing a World Item..."

For a brief moment, Azazel's thoughts wandered but he soon concentrated them on the struggling half-elf within his wings.

He slowly unfurled his wings and let the creature loose. In an instant it jumped as far away from his wings as possible and gave him a furious glare.

Azazel stared at the unfathomable creature known as Zesshi Zetsumei who did not look even the least bit shocked at his true form and was even giving him the stink eye for forcefully restraining her.

 _"Come to think of it even Adequin doesn't seem to be reacting much... Hmmm, I guess that's a warrior for you. Calm at all times."_

"Oi, Azazel you bastard! You better not try that again or I swear to god, dragon or not I will castrate you."

"..."

"Have I made myself clear."

"...Yes Ma'm crystal clear."

Azazel gave a wry smile as he submitted to Zesshi's demands.

"Good."

In the next moment a cold wind swept over Azazel and Zesshi as they felt a certain red-headed monster exerting its aura. The vortex of power contained within her body was so abundant that it had begun to take tangible form and could be felt in the form of cold winds.

Azazel's grip on Mjolnir unconsciously tightened as he wracked his brains for a way out of this situation.

"Not good! [Body Switch]!"

The girl suddenly raised her blade showing clear intent to finish Adequin who was fearlessly holding his ground despite being no match, thus prompting Zesshi to perform some sort of Martial Art or Skill and switch places with Adequin. This action surprised Azazel greatly sending him into a panic.

 _"Oi! Oi! I brought you all the way here so I could protect you and you decide to switch with Adequin! Goddamn it Zesshi!"_

Azazel immediately rushed towards Zesshi who was about to be struck down by the red-head golem. However, his speed was too slow and the distance was too far. Before Azazel could get close enough to do anything, the girl's sword struck Zesshi and sliced through her entire body in a single bound. Or at least that's what should have happened. But in actual fact both Azazel and the girl were too slow. Before any of them could do anything significant Zesshi spoke a few words that formed some sort of barrier around her body.

"[Holy Treasure Skill activation: Absolute Territory]!"

Azazel stood there frozen in shock.

The girl had struck the barrier with all the strength of a high-grade World Item, but miraculously the barrier didn't shatter. Instead it reflected the full force of the girl's attack right back at her before entangling her in a sea of spell formations and magic circles which acted as a temporary seal. For a brief moment the girl's moves were completely sealed. Azazel, not willing to let this opportunity go, immediately rushed towards the girl with an attack while doing his best to ignore the figure of Zesshi whose clothes had dissipated due to the backlash from somehow activating one of the strongest defensive skills in YGGDRASIL.

With a mighty roar, Azazel thrust his sword towards the center of the girl's chest with all his might.

"[Mjolnir Skill-boost: Void Blade]!"

Azazel's blade moved with such speed and power that the fabric of reality had been visibly torn. Naturally, the girl who had been the target of such an attack was not exempt from the damage. His blade went straight through her spreading several cracks across her body and fragmenting her into various pieces. Those remaining pieces dissipated into flames and then imploded into a large number of strange orange wisps of light. The wisps of light sank into the ground until eventually none of them could be seen anymore.

"W-We did it!"

Unable to believe that he had managed to pull out such a quick victory against that monster of an NPC Azazel couldn't help but let out a celebratory shout.

He turned around and found a grinning Zesshi, who happened to still be stark naked. Azazel averted his eyes out of embarrassment much to Zesshi's amusement.

"Hah! See? We did it didn't we? Now imagine what would have happened to you if we had done as you said and ran away."

Though still a little sheepish, Azazel responded enthusiastically. It was truly a strange sight, seeing an imposing dragonoid act like a shy teenage boy.

"...Hehe my bad. I'll put more trust in you next time."

Reaching up and giving him a solid, but playful strike on the shoulder Zesshi shot him a wide grin.

"You better!"

Soon enough the two lost themselves in conversation and Azazel found himself opening up bit by bit.

"But still I'm quite surprised that your gear had that innate skill. Back where I came from that was a powerful skill you know."

"I know! In the ancient scriptures the Six Gods themselves stated that the gear I was wearing moments ago held unparalleled defensive capabilities."

"I see that must he why it was only one-time us-"

He cut himself off as he noticed his gaze being pulled towards Zesshi's still naked figure

"..."

Zesshi responded to his hurried aversion with silence. Unsettled by the awkwardness Azazel questioned Zesshi.

"What is it?"

"Azazel-kun~ would you mind looking at me while we speak?"

"Eh?!"

Putting on a mischievous smile Zesshi began to seductively approach Azazel who couldn't help but peek at her through his peripheral vision despite his great attempts to make it look like he was avoiding seeing her naked figure.

Fortunately for Azazel , his saving grace came in the form of Adequin.

"Knock it off Zesshi! We still have a mission to do. There's no time for your frivolousness"

Pouting, Zesshi reluctantly agreed.

"Fine."

Putting on a rare smile, Adequin gave her an incentive.

"Of course when the mission is over you're free to do as you wish, and I wouldn't say or do anything to stop you."

Zesshi finally grinned and bumped fists with Adequin.

 _"...Oi! You were supposed to be my saviour! Don't go selling me off just like that!"_

Fortunately for Azazel that was the last time he would be sold by Adequin. This is because Adequin died.

Before any of them could realize, a dense body of orange light floated up from beneath Adequin's feet and then transformed into flames. Adequin's body was surrounded by flames and was promptly incinerated. In the short second that Azazel and Zesshi took to process this, the flame that had consumed Adequin split into one large fireball and one small fireball and attacked Adequin and Zesshi respectively. In an instant both he and Zesshi were engulfed in flames. The flames were so intense that every fiber of Azazel's being was screaming out in pain, as his scales began to show signs of charring.

 _"Shit! If even I'm burning up like this Zesshi's not going to last long."_

Sure enough, Azazel's worries were proven right when he forcefully turned his neck and saw that over 70% of Zesshi's body had been charred black and her fingers had even begun to melt into nothingness. In a panic, Azazel used an aggro collection skill.

"[Dragon Element: Attract flame]!"

In an instant the flames on Zesshi's body left her and assaulted Azazel. Several scales began to fall off as the flames steadily burned through his defenses.

Seeing that the flames weren't going to let up anytime soon, Azazel quickly transformed Mjolnir into something more useful.

"[Mjolnir-Transform: Water State Spear]"

Following the emergence of an unnaturally short spear, a skill was cast from it.

"[Weapon Skill: Geyser Blast]!"

Azazel's body which had been turned into kindling for a large fire was instantly submerged in a large stream of water causing the flames to leap off his body.

Azazel noticed that as the flames leapt off it ate half of his Mjolnir. Seeing the sad state of his weapon, Azazel realized who was responsible for the severe attack just now.

"So you survived..."

As if in response to his words, the flames began spiraling and converging into one area. After a few moments a figure was formed and the red-head golem was once again standing before Azazel. But this time, Azazel was alone in confronting it.

The red-head golem was once again taking the time to stabilize after absorbing even more of Mjolnir. Azazel, who was left with half of half a spear quickly transformed it into a dagger and rushed to Zesshi's aid.

"[Draconic Blessing: Breath of Life]"

He used a healing skill to heal her charred body. As the soot on her slowly disappeared and reverted to flesh, Azazel kept a keen eye on the girl who was still stabilizing herself. In this moment several thoughts were passing through his head. And after those hectic thoughts finally settled he made a decision.

Azazel knew that the Great Tomb of Nazarick impeded teleportation spells but he also knew that even the most powerful anti-teleport measures wouldn't be able to handle multiple super-tier dimensional transport spells which he and his guild had once tried to utilize to escape Nazarick after they'd been cornered on the 6th floor. Unfortunately every single one of their spells had completely failed. From this, Azazel had deduced that it was some sort of World Item creating the effect. Coincidentally, Azazel happened to hold a World Item with him in this moment.

With a deep breath Azazel placed Mjolnir into Zesshi's hands. Then took out a teleport talisman. As he was about to crack it over Zesshi's figure the girl who had been stock-still till now finished stabilizing and instantly rushed towards Azazel with her body clad in flames. With Mjolnir out of his grasp, Azazel had no choice but to take the attack on his body. Hurriedly using a defensive skill, he braced himself for the pain.

"[Heavenly Dragon Scale]!"

A bright white glow emanated from Azazel's body as the defensive skill formed around him. But this white glow didn't last for long as the redhead golem's flame covered strike dispersed the light and cut halfway through Azazel's body, nearly cutting his upper torso with a 45 degree angle. In step with the pain that coursed through his being, Azazel quickly crushed the talisman. From the shattered debris, bright green magic energy swiftly spiraled around Zesshi's body which held a singular dagger.

As the signs of talisman teleportation engulfed Zesshi's body. Hesitation momentarily appeared within Azazel's heart, but that was soon drowned by the torrent of good will he felt for Zesshi who accepted him for who he was. Unlike his family, or his guild members she didn't abandon him when he exposed his weakness, his vulnerability instead she drew him even closer to her. For that moment alone where he felt truly blissful he was eternally grateful. Thus, even if she had decided to abandon him the very next day he would have accepted it with open arms. That was the extent of how large a debt he owed her. Azazel's resolve solidified and he watched her disappear along with his only chance of getting out of the tomb alive. Despite that, Azazel no longer cared.

 _"No matter... at least this way, she may survive."_

With those thoughts of resignation, Azazel resolved himself to fight the redhead golem with every fiber of his being.

"OOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH! [Regal Dragon Roar]!"

Azazel opened his mouth and unleashed one of the most threatening abilities that all dragons innately possessed. Their roar.

A beam of concentrated energy formed by raw untouched mana was formed between Azazel's teeth and subsequently shot at the girl in a beam-like fashion. This powerful strike hit her at point-blank range, and even for the girl and her monstrous defensive stats it was impossible to take this hit unfazed. The girl was shot back several meters, and by the time the dust cleared Azazel's wound from the girl's earlier strike had completely healed. Likewise the crack formed in the girl's arm after taking the breath attack head on had also mended itself.

Wordlessly, Rubedo approached once more at lightning speeds.

"[Draconic Power]!,[Latent Ability Release]!,[Overdrive]!,[Royal Authority: King's Pride]![Unleashed state]! [Compact Ability]!"

In a flash, Azazel demonstrated why he was once at the peak of YGGDRASIL gameplay. He had a ridiculous amount of ways to boost his stats way past what should have been his limit.

As the numerous skills took effect on Azazel's body, his figure, strangely enough, grew smaller rather than larger. To the point where, he could be compared to a young man when placed side by side with the redhead golem, whereas a moment ago he had very clearly been a monster that towered over her.

In the instant that this transformation took effect, he girl had closed the gap and was already halfway through her sword swing. And for all the extra power Azazel had just received he was still nowhere strong or fast enough to effectively deal with the coming attack. The girl was still a World Item, and because of that she was ridiculously unfair. And now Azazel no longer had his own World Item to contend against her with. Azazel did his best to put up a proper block, but despite that the girl's blade still ran right through the arm he had tried to block with and would have ran through his body as well if the scales from his severed arm had not suddenly grown out into an exceptionally tough wall. Azazel would have been run through right then and there.

"[Sacrificial Series: Divine Wall]!"

By using his severed arm as the catalyst for a powerful defensive skill, Azazel, who had been courting death all this time managed to buy himself a few seconds of time.

Using this moment as an opening, Azazel flew backwards several meters.

"[Royal Summons: Dragon Royal Guard]"

Two large dragonoids clad in armor materialized in front of Azazel, at the same time the scale wall before them was ruptured, and from it the most terrifying little girl in existence stepped out. With her body and blade clad in majestic flames, she was a menacing figure, but Azazel couldn't care less.

Mentally ordering his royal guards to strike at her from the left and right sides, Azazel shot several supporting attacks and used up many offensive skills.

As the girl dealt with the head-on attacks from the dragonoid knights, several wind blades came rushing at her, the earth itself struck out in attempts to impale her, tremendous blasts of air slammed into her body, and stray blasts of mana energy attempted to hit her.

And yet, without looking even the slightest bit perturbed the girl swiftly cut down her assailants on either side, absorbed into her body the large stalactites which should have impaled her and then braved the savage torrents of wind that would have torn up anyone else. At the end of it all, she stood there unscathed.

But Azazel was not bothered by this, as all his previous attacks were simply a front to buy time for his trump card.

His slender pupils made contact with the girl's emotionless eyes, and for a moment he let himself grin.

"Even if it's you, this should at least do something. [Legendary Draconic Knight Specialty: Tempest Blade]!"

Azazel who had flown upwards in preparation for his attack flapped his wings forcefully causing powerful winds to blow through the 8th floor. And in the next moment, every single blade in Azazel's inventory materialized in the air behind him. Surging waves of powerful mana emanated from each one showing that every blade in the air was potent. With that same grin, Azazel thrust his hand forward and in an instant every single blade behind him shot forward like meteors. Every single one of the blades rushed towards the girl, and with the sheer number of them there was simply no way to dodge.

Azazel's gamble which had begun from a simple sacrificial skill had payed off and Azazel was able to place the girl right where he wanted her. This moment where he led around by the nose an entity that was his utter superior in raw power was one of Azazel's proudest moments and a testament to his skill.

Normally this would have settled the battle considering the fact that not only did each one of those blades carry enough power to wipe out 1/4 of a max level player's HP there were also 586 of them. But Azazel was up against a World Item, so there wasn't a 100% guarantee that he had killed her. And furthermore he had lost every single weapon in his inventory. As such he kept his guard up and watched for any oncoming attacks.

Due to Azazel not experimenting with skills prior to that day he was not aware that many skills in the New World had evolved from what they were once like in YGGDRASIL. Like many others this skill of his had gotten an upgrade after the transition into the New World. Whereas before he could only launch 10 blades with a single use of this skill, now he could utilize any weapon he wished. And he had unknowingly used every last one available in his inventory.

 _"Well, at least this way the chances of that monster being eradicated has shot up by a significant amount."_

While remaining wary, Azazel slowly approached the place where the girl had been standing. After getting past the dust and catching a glimpse of the figure he was searching for Azazel stopped in his tracks.

"T-This is a lie right? This can't possibly be!"

And yet the image in his eyes refused to change, there standing in the center of his vision was the familiar sight of the girl stabilizing her body after taking in some foreign substance. Finally after spending an odd few seconds staring at the unbelievable but undeniable truth, Azazel let out a short laugh. Half because of despair, and half because of insanity.

"Ahahaha... Did she... absorb all that?"

He asked the question to nobody, and as expected nobody answered. But fortunately or unfortunately, Azazel didn't need someone else to answer his question. That girl in front of him had completely absorbed his trump card.

* * *

Deep within the Slane Theocracy was an underground stronghold. On normal days it was known as the innermost sanctum where countless divine treasures were stored. But on days where the fate of the Theocracy hung in the balance it was the sanctuary where the Cardinals and the Pontifex Maximus reside.

And on this day it most certainly did. Thus, all 6 Cardinals were present as well as the Pontifex. The room was a simple square room wide enough to comfortably house over 200 people as well as all the treasures left behind by the entities known as the Six Gods.

At the front of this square room was a contingent of Theocracy soldiers. There was a wide array of talents within those ranks, and every single one of them were powerful enough to compete with Adventurers of the orichalcum rank, and of course their panoply was even more potent. One could even say they had gear potent enough to belong to a virgin Adamantite-class or a veteran Orichalcum. And at the head of these soldiers was a God-kin who stood above and beyond Adamntite. In the entire Theocracy, it could be said that the only entities that could oppose him was the Captain of the Black Scripture, and the half-elf who usually protected the treasury.

Surely anyone who was protected by such a powerful group would feel assured of their safety. After all this level of battle potential was unprecedented for any elite unit. However, not a single one of the 200 people who were stowed away in this room felt safe. If anything they were all anxious. The tension was such that a single upset would likely cause pandemonium within the crowd.

This was because beings known as Death Knights who could make sport of Adamantite Adventurers were currently swarming the outside of the room. If it were only one or two, the crowd would have had hope. They would have believed in the chances that their elite troop could keep them safe. But unfortunately reality was not so kind. Outside of the room they were staying in were a hundred or so such beings. Not only that there were other similarly powerful but unknown creatures in the mix as well. Were it not for the powerful defenses built into this room by the Theocracy's patron gods the inhabitants would have probably been long dead.

At the very back of the crowd was a small group of very important people. These people comprised the Theocracy's backbone, and for good reason. Despite the desperate straits they found themselves in, they still put their heads together and tried their hardest to come up with workable solutions.

As of the moment they were crowded around a single man who was operating a floating mirror. This mirror was one of the treasures left behind by the Theocracy's gods. It was known simply as the [Mirror of Remote Viewing]. And yet in spite of its modest name, the item itself was of tremendous value and power. It could be said that in the Theocracy's hands was the single greatest information gathering tool. With that one mirror they could stay ahead of all the neighboring nations, learn all their secrets and movements, and keep a firm hold on the hegemony over the area. In fact, the higher-ups of the Theocracy believed that even Ainz Ooal Gown would have had difficulty dealing with surveillance from this omnipresent item. If the Gods had not left behind instructions to never use tools from the treasury unless the Theocracy's continued existence was threatened then the Theocracy would have likely used this item as they pleased.

The Six Cardinals all crowded around this mirror as the Pontifex himself put it to use and scoured the surrounding lands.

"T-This can't be."

Upon seeing the ghastly sights through the mirror the cardinal's faces underwent various changes. Some grew pale, others grimaced, but all of them were anxious.

"It's all gone."

"Every single city destroyed. Down to the last building."

"How could this have happened."

Various words of despair fluttered about as the mirror, with the Pontifex's guidance, swept over every city within the Theocracy's territory. Only to find that each and every single one had been completely and utterly destroyed. It was as if a typhoon had rushed through and uprooted everything from the ground up.

With the despair within the group spreading quickly, one man asked a question that gave a faint glimmer of hope.

"What about _them?_ "

It was the Cardinal of Earth, Raymond Zarg Lauransan.

Of course everyone within earshot of Raymond understood who he was referring to when he said 'them'. With an expression that betrayed his excitement, the Pontifex quickly guided the Mirror into displaying the location that they were all thinking of. Unfortunately this excitement of his was not rewarded, as the Mirror of Remote Viewing was simple unable to gaze at Nazarick. Something obstructed it and the Mirror's image would be cut off.

This bizarre happening silenced all the Cardinals.

"No...way."

"For even the Mirror of the gods to fail, just what kind of power does Ainz Ooal Gown wield?"

"Do we even have a chance to survive this?"

"We're like lambs rushing headlong into the slaughterhouse."

Amongst all the words of despair, an old man's voice cut through and remonstrated them all.

"You old fools! Do not forget that we are humanity's strength. If we were to lose all hope and falter here then all of humanity will have lost. Do not forget our purpose!"

Though his words were compelling, in the end they were still words. Voices rose up in complaint.

"But Ginedia-dono, what are we even capable of doing in this situation?"

"Humph, Don't forget we still have that bastard Azazel. As untrustworthy as I find him to be, it is still the truth that he holds power beyond measure."

With that stern declaration, Ginedia reminded the other Cardinals of their last remaining hope. Though that hope was tiny, it was still more than enough to pump the blood back into the hearts of these old men who were resilient by nature.

Sensing an upheaval in the general mood and morale, Raymond threw some even more light in the dim hope that had begun to take shape within the Cardinal's hearts.

"Don't forget that Ainz Ooal Gown is most likely the same kind of entity as the Eight Greed Kings, and the Six Gods before them. The 'players' who are dragged into this world every 100 years or so as is stated in the old scripture. And as history has taught us, the only beings capable of standing against the 'players' are those very creatures themselves. And as we all know, Azazel is a 'player'.

With those words, the tiny light of hope within the people's eyes shone bright.

"That's right! We have Azazel-sama."

"We of the Slane Theocracy have never been forsaken by the Gods and that's not about to change now."

Seeing the Cardinals, who had gotten a morale boost, Ginedia gave Raymond a meaningful look. Raymond responded with a vague smile. Clapping his hands together he made a suggestion that ought to raise morale even higher.

"Pontifex Maximus-dono, why don't we view the Katze Plains?"

The Pontifex readily agreed and began to guide the mirror's image towards the Katze Plains

And thus the bright flame of hope that the Cardinals managed to scrape together... was promptly extinguished.

* * *

Albedo let out a weary sigh as she lifted her battle-worn helmet from her head. Her long wavy hair fluttered about as the wind firmly but softly caressed her frame. Her horns reflected the light from the sun high above them. Beneath her feet was the bizarre land that had taken shape after the course of events that took place in the fight between Nazarick's guardians. But she did not pay any mind to this freak of nature. It was as if she didn't even know what transformation the land had undergone. All she knew was that it was over.

It was a long fight, the longest Nazarick had ever gone through since its arrival on this new world. And yet it was not a fight against this world's inhabitants. Instead it was a fight with themselves. While it had been brought about by some scoundrel from the old world, the very fact that the servants of Nazarick who were supposed to represent the epitome of loyalty and service had stood in the way of their great master's plan infuriated Albedo. In her mind it did not matter that this incident was not of their will, for her it could be argued that it was their own fault for letting themselves fall prey to whatever trick the enemy had utilized. If Albedo had her way, she would see to it that they were executed for treason.

However, her master's compassion was boundless and thus she had been given absolute orders to resurrect these fools after the influence of mind control had been cleansed from them through death.

Even so, Albedo could not find it in her to let this matter go lightly. Thus, for a moment she hesitated in giving the order and only gave a resentful glare in the direction of the slumped over corpses of the traitorous guardians. If she looked to her sides she was certain that the others had the same expression as her. But their master's orders were absolute and unquestionable. And so, Albedo finally gave the order.

"Resurrect them."

With those words, Mare stepped forward and cast her magic. A blinding light shone from the young boy's staff and covered the corpses. In the next moment, vitality once again coursed through their veins and they slowly stood up from their positions on the ground. With expressions like they had no idea what was going on.

Irritated at the dumbfound looks on their faces Albedo let out a harsh shout.

"Demiurge, Cocytus, Shalltear! What do you bastards have to say for yourselves?!"

For a reason that is yet to be found out, Demiurge and Cocytus seemed to recall what they had done, and their faces instantly paled. Their bodies shook in anguish as they fell back to the ground unable to bear the weight of their crimes that threatened to crush their very souls. Shalltear on the other hand was still as clueless as ever.

While on the outside Albedo was still the picture of chilling wrath, on the inside she was quite the opposite and a searing rage burned within her threatening to break loose and cause her to kill the traitorous bastards a second time. So as to appease this fire even for a little bit, Albedo voiced out her anger.

"Shalltear, you vampire bitch. You let this happen to you not once, but twice?!"

At Albedo's words, Shalltear's expression underwent a three-stage transformation. First, the vexation at Albedo's insult. Second, the confusion at the words that followed. And third, the despair upon realizing the meaning behind Albedo's words.

Shalltear quivered as she desperately grasped for words to explain herself. And yet nothing came out. This was because she knew that she had let her master down yet again. Resigning herself to a traitor's death in repentance for her actions, Shalltear's eyes swam about looking for her master.

"Ainz-sama!? Where is Ainz-sama!"

At her frantic words, the rage that was so desperately being contained within Albedo finally burst free and in the next moment, Shalltear found herself being pinned on the ground by Albedo's feet while her arm had been ripped off and was currently in Albedo's grasp.

"You impudent woman! Do you think a scoundrel like you who stood in the way of Ainz-sama's plans has the right to even utter his name?! Much less gaze upon his person?!"

Shalltear opened her mouth to speak, but no sounds left her mouth. Realizing the truth in Albedo's words, Shalltear merely shut up and quivered in silence.

Albedo then turned her attention to the other two bastards in the area.

"That goes for the two of you as well! As far as I'm concerned you fools are just as disgraceful."

Albedo's reptilian eyes openly showed the disgust she felt at these three who were her companions in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. And while most would feel that her reaction was a bit extreme, the truth was this was the exact same reaction any other denizen of Nazarick would have towards anyone who had acted against their master. And in fact the resentment Albedo was feeling now was the same one she had felt when Shalltear was first brainwashed. It had only been dispelled by her own master's compelling words, and compassionate desire. But now that Shalltear had once again committed this grave sin. All of Albedo's resentment from before came crashing back. The same could be said for the other Nazarick servants that were currently with Albedo.

Thus they were all collectively in the worst mood possible. And knowing that their master had ordered them to spare the lives of the traitors the group knew that they had to calm their emotions somehow lest they disobey their master's words. Fortunately for them, there was a sufficient amount of fodder for them to vent out their feelings. With these thoughts of calming themselves, the group of guardians that had worked together to take down Shalltear and co. collectively turned around and rushed towards the remnants of the Slane Theocracy Army which had already been reduced to mere rabble from the Death Knight's onslaught. With Albedo and the other's descent, the remaining Slane Theocracy's soldiers were made to realize for the second time that day, that hell truly did exist. And thus what would later be known as the second Katze Plains Massacre begun.

* * *

Azazel grit his teeth as he watched the golem get even stronger while he was unable to do anything. His helplessness slowly sinking in making him realize how little he amounted to.

In tandem with that feeling of despair were rising feelings of frustration and determination.

 _"Like hell I'll let it end here! If I bite the dust so soon Zesshi might still get caught. I sent her as far away as I could but she was still unconscious last I checked! If she stays there she'll be found sooner or later!"_

With the determination to buy as much time as possible for Zesshi's survival he once again braced himself for combat. With the white glow around the redhead girl beginning to flicker showing tell-tale signs of her stabilization having finished, Azazel once again used up multiple skills to boost his power.

"[Indomitable Might]! [Maximize Stats]!"

He then reached into his inventory and pulled out a slew of different potions. [Strength potions], [Health Potions], [Stamina] and [Resistance] potions. Azazel took every kind of potion he had available and immediately ingested it.

 _"I have to end this before the effects from before run out as well. Whether I win or lose, this is the deciding moment!"_

With those thoughts, Azazel braced himself for battle. Right on cue, the girl finished stabilizing and instantly began her assault. Her body once again disappeared from view and reappeared right in front of Azazel. They then engaged in an intense exchange of blows. Azazel's fists for her blade, his elbows for her blade, his feet for her blade, his body for her blade. Azazel used every means possible to attack her with everything he had. Even still the girl began to slowly push Azazel back due to the still remaining gulf in their abilities regardless of whatever attempts Azazel made to shorten it.

Azazel certainly had very tough defense and he had done all he could to boost his attack power enough to damage the golem in a lethal way but the girl's defense capabilities were even more impressive than Azazel's and his attacks left her off with mere scratches. While each of her fire-coated swings would leave deep cuts on Azazel's scales. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Azazel didn't even try to defend. Instead he forced his all into landing as many hits on the girl as the girl herself landed on him. But Azazel could only last for so long, and soon enough he began to retreat.

Every few seconds he'd stop taking the hits and fly backwards as far from the girl as he could before landing back on the ground and slamming his palm into the terrain. Then he would once again exchange in a furious exchange of blows with the girl. He would then fly off into another random direction, but each time he did so he would, without fail, place an open palm into whatever was underneath him in a forceful manner almost akin to a strike.

After several repetitions of this, he finally began to show signs of weariness as his skills wore off one by one and his attacks lost all power. His fist strikes would bounce off of the girl harmlessly, and recovery speed visibly slowed down to an almost unnoticeable rate. Before long, his hands fell harmlessly to his sides as he stood waiting for the girl to run him through with her blade. And run him through she did. Without any resistance, her blade stabbed right through his defenseless body. His HP was down to the last few digits. But in that dragon's eyes was not the light of despair, but rather the shine of hope and delight. With the fastest speed he could muster, Azazel struck the girl's back with his open palm and then tore himself off her blade. At the same time he left her some ominous parting words.

"Never underestimate a top-class player, bitch!"

As Azazel's body lost the support of the blade that was ironically keeping him up, he succumbed to gravity and fell down, but he did so with a smile.

Meanwhile the redhead's back had a glowing white sigil slapped onto it. And all around her surroundings plastered onto the ground were the exact same sigils. Her sharp ears picked up soft words from Azazel's dying figure.

"[Advanced Draconic Skill: Energy Convergence]"

As the last of those words left his mouth the white sigils all exploded with bright white energy, and true to its name converged into one spot. That spot was the sigil on the girl's back. A large mass of energy was formed around the girl as she was both damaged and contained by the sphere of rampant energy swirling about around her body.

However, powerful as this skill was Azazel knew that it could not defeat the girl on its own. Thus, he forced himself to stand as he prepared phase two of his battle plan.

He reached into his inventory and took out several talismans which he then arranged around the girl in an array formation. One by one he activated them by filling each with MP as he himself stood in his own array of talismans. In the next moment, all the talismans around him broke and turned into a bright red sphere. As if waiting for this moment, the convergence of energy on the girl ceased.

In time with the disappearance of the energy, the talismans around the girl also broke and formed it's own bright red sphere which merged with the sphere near Azazel. The now united sphere then rushed into the girl and surrounded her. At first nothing happened, and the girl merely rose her blade preparing to rush Azazel and strike him down for good. But in the next moment her limbs stiffened and numerous cracks began to show up on her body. Before long the redhead had turned into a gray statue full of cracks. She had reverted into a golem's natural frozen state, a sure sign that said golem had sustained too much damage and was no longer fit for combat. Azazel let out a long sigh at the sight, relieved that his gamble had worked.

"It worked... I won. I can't believe I managed to pull it off."

Azazel stood still where he was as he continuously muttered such words to himself, unable to believe that he had succeeded.

The attack Azazel just used was one that anybody was capable of using provided that they had the proper materials. And it was incredibly powerful due to its threatening effect which was the transferring of all the damage dealt to the user of the attack onto the target of said attack. This was a technique rarely ever used in single or even group combat due to its sheer difficulty to pull off in an actual battle. Requiring its user to set up formations and even activate formations while in the midst of battle made the technique impossible for anyone to do without being disrupted by the opponent somehow, provided that the opponent was not a noob. So, this attack normally only saw use in cases where one man faced off against multiple enemies.

Seeing as Azazel had bet his life on a gamble like this while bringing himself as close to death as possible to rack up the damage, one could say he had gone insane. But they say desperate men take desperate measures. And in this case Azazel's desperation saved his life.

 _"Heh. Thankfully, NPC's aren't smart. If that monster had even the slightest bit of ingenuity that a human possesses I would have been toast."_

As Azazel lamented such, the image of a certain paladin flashed through his mind. And he found himself grinning at the memory of his first battle against the paladin during the Martial Arts Tournament. They had both fought well and made it to the finals but in the end Touch-Me had defeated him and claimed the title of [World Champion].

 _"If it were that brilliant paladin then surely he could have also defeated that monster whose only advantage was its stats"_

As he thought such, Azazel begun shuffling away from the battleground and towards the exit. He wanted nothing more to do with this godforsaken tomb of which he only had bitter memories of. In that moment all Azazel wanted to do was to see her face again. The face of the one who broke him free from his curse of hatred. The one who he promised to devote his entire being to. But alas, fate would not be so kind. Azazel was made well aware of this when an unnatural weight forced him onto his knees, and before his eyes appeared the one man that symbolized his hatred.

"Momonga... so you've come."

To his voice, Momonga made no response. But the intense flare in his red eyes, if they could even be called that, was more than enough to tell Azazel what he wanted to know.

 _"Ahh. This man... he hates me just as much as I hated him."_

Azazel thought that to himself as he looked at Momonga. And as Momonga's skeleton body began quivering in what seemed to be rage Azazel's suspicion turned into conviction.

Beside Momonga was a faceless girl wearing a white gown. Due to her lack of facial futures to speak of Azazel couldn't really tell but he somehow felt that she was looking at the redhead girl with an expression of delight and disappointment. But that feeling only lasted for an instant before she turned her face towards him and he vividly felt her killing intent pouring into him.

Cutting into that was a seemingly calmer Momonga, who asked the faceless girl a question.

"Nigredo, what is Rubedo's current state?"

"Ainz-sama, she is merely in her most natural and most defensive state. It seems her health reached critical levels and to protect herself that skill manifested."

"I see."

Momonga then turned towards Azazel and their eyes locked. Azazel's blue pupils with the red dot within Momonga's eye socket. For a while they merely stared at each other, it was Azazel who broke that silence.

"That girl, Rubedo was it? She's a damned monster."

"And yet you defeated her."

With a chuckle, Azazel waved off Momonga's remark.

"Though a monster, in the end NPC's can't compete with players in a situation where the battlegrounds aren't set with rules like they were in the game."

Contrary to what Azazel expected, Momonga seemed to agree.

"Indeed. This whole incident has taught me that I must instill into my subordinates the importance of practical fighting skills."

"That you should."

Azazel had no way of knowing, but he felt as if Momonga was currently narrowing his eyes towards his carefree behavior despite the current predicament he found himself in.

"Aren't you curious about why you can't move right now?"

And sure enough his guess was correct. Furthermore, he already had a good idea as to why exactly his movement was being completely restricted.

"A World Item that works well on dragons I assume?"

"... Very impressive. Indeed it is. As of right now you are fully within my grasp. With the flick of a finger I could end you."

"I see..."

"Say, Azazel. Why did you do it? What did my Nazarick ever do to offend you. For what reason did you go and do something as hateful as harming what me and my friends had worked so hard to create."

"Do I have to answer that? Rather, why should I answer that."

Contrary to how he had imagined the situation to play out, Azazel was actually having a rather civil discussion with Momonga. Almost as if all the ill will between them had been naught but a lie.

"Because I'm about to kill you, and you should do your best to garner sympathy and beg for your life like the lowly little bug that you are."

The hateful, angry words Momonga spat out, however, served as a reminder to Azazel that although it wasn't obvious on the outside the ill will was most certainly still there. In submission to Momonga who had defeated him both in YGGDRASIL and this New World, Azazel decided to give an honest answer. The most honest answer he could give.

"Our guild failed to defeat your guild in a raid."

"...That's it?"

Momonga's eyes grew brighter, and a dangerous glint could be felt in those red dots of his.

"Yes indeed, that is the sole reason I hunted your NPC's down and tried to kill you. Because I lost."

"For such a reason... you would so such a thing... you!."

For a moment Momonga said nothing and simply stood there his shoulders shaking from the rage. But almost immediately after, his rage erupted much like a volcano would and Momonga began screaming at Azazel.

YOU TRASH! YOU GNAT! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! FOR SUCH A PETTY REASON YOU WOULD LAY YOUR HANDS ON MY CHILDREN?! YOU WOULD FORCE THEM TO BATTLE EACH OTHER?! TO KILL EACH OTHER?! YOU WORTHLESS INSECT!"

Momonga's anger was so intense that the glow from his eyes grew bright enough to fill up his entire socket with its glow, and yet he did not stop shaking in rage. It was understandable however that his rage would be so great. As Azazel had basically told him that he had harmed them for nothing more than a worthless vendetta from a life, long gone, and a video game they were no longer in.

Of course Azazel could have pissed him off a lot less if he shared his true feelings. How lonely he was in his real life, how he had eventually found a home of his own in the YGGDRASIL game with the guild members of [Zehid Regime] and how his despair and loneliness had returned when his teammates left the game after their loss against [Ainz Ooal Gown]. Surely Momonga could have related and felt sympathy if this was the story Azazel chose to tell. After all Momonga himself was much the same. Azazel knew that, he could tell from the glowing way in which Momonga spoke when he said the word 'friends' and the great care he held for the creations that his friends had made with him. All these things allowed Azazel to know that Momonga was a kindred soul.

 _"But what's the point?"_

He thought to himself.

 _"It's exactly because I know he's like me that I also know he'd never forgive me for what I'd done. My fate ends in death no matter what road I walk."_

Azazel guessed that probably the only difference his story could make was in how cruel his death would be.

 _"But a life without Zesshi is already the most cruel life there is. And besides... what right do I have to choose the easy way out? This me who dragged so many innocent lives into my own personal grudge over a video game? This me who personally led a nation to its death and destruction, this hand of mine that slew countless lives in the name of vengeance. But if my vengeance story was shared with all those who had real reasons to seek vengeance, and to those who were brought into harm's way by my actions, they would surely endlessly curse my name... I never stopped playing the game. All this time I've just been playing a game while innocent lives dropped one after another. Death?... This worthless me doesn't deserve such a reward."_

As he thought that, Azazel wallowed in regret. All he could think about was all the things that could have been if he had dropped his hatred a little earlier. If Zesshi had cured him before he crossed the point of no return, maybe then even he, even his worthless self could have meant something to someone. Maybe then, even he could have led a life worth living.

These were the last coherent thoughts that Azazel would ever have.

But at the time the only hint he had of his fate was in Momonga's words to Nigredo

"Nigredo! Take this worthless filth to Neuronist! Tell her to extract every last thing we can possibly extract from his body, and to perform every experiment we can. Make it as painful as possible but don't kill him. Death is too simple a fate for his crimes!"

Momonga then made a waving motion with his hands and Azazel's consciousness dissipated.

He would later wake up and remain awake for over 500 years. It was only after such a long period of time that he would finally manage to sleep.

And during that period of 5 centuries, Nazarick experienced an unprecedented boom in the furniture industry. Several types of chairs and tables made of solid dragon bone were crafted by Demiurge. And Dragon Stew became very popular in Nazarick's menu.

 **THE END**

 ***sighs* what a classic fairy tale ending ;)**

 **A/N: Yayy! We finished, or rather, I finished.**

 **I sure do have a lot of names for Rubedo(Redhead, girl, golem, redhead girl). Lol. Azazel not knowing her name was so inconvenient I swear.**

 **In case anyone was wondering, I will tie up the loose ends of Zesshi and the Theocracy in the Epilogue which should come out sometime soon.**

 **Anyway now that we're at the last chapter(not counting the epilogue) I'd appreciate it if the reviews are centered on the fanfic as a whole rather than this one chapter.** **And now to set an example for everyone I will be reviewing my own fanfiction...**

 **Objective Review:**

 **In my personal opinion(Wasn't this supposed to be an objective review? I hear you asking and to that I say... judging whether a plot is interesting or not involves opinion so using "In my personal opinion" to start this off was not incorrect.), the plot of my story was pretty good although I had some pacing issues. There's also a bit of a stretch with the lore when I utilized the wish rings for mind controlling NPC's but hey if I didn't make that possible then Azazel would have been dead after chapter 4.**

 **The accuracy in characterization(how accurately I portrayed existing characters) was good enough as well. Except for Zesshi who I fucked up. The way I wrote her is quite different from the way she was portrayed in the Vol.4 intermission. Plus, I gave her a romantic subplot founded on her statement "she'll marry anybody stronger than her out of interest for the strength of their offspring" and I somehow butchered that and turned it into innocent maiden-like love.I should have maybe chosen someone else to be Azazel's savior since Zesshi's personality just does not fit into that mold, but I(as the author) forcefully shoved her into that mold anyway.**

 **My development for the main characters was utter gobshit. Especially that one scene with Azazel and Zesshi where I just had them start to monologue to each other out of nowhere about their deepest feelings and world views and insecurities. Like wtf was I thinking? At the time I actually called that "development" but looking back it's just lazy and bad writing.**

 **My side characters are also pretty "eh" like what the fuck is up with Thabim? And aside from 2 of the Slane Theocracy councilors I portrayed the rest of the ones on that council as spineless, brainless fools who listened to everything Azazel said. Which, if you read the volume 10 intermission, is completely wrong.**

 **On a side note, I clearly had zero knowledge on how war works when I wrote the scenario for the war between the elves and the theocracy back in chapter 3. And I clearly realized that and read up on war a little but ultimately still failed to get it right in chapter 9(Though I do feel it was an improvement from chapter 3)**

 **Azazel as a character I feel was a good concept but I failed to execute it properly and it morphed into something "meh". Though this is quite subjective(the part about him being a good concept) because I personally like loser-like characters who are pathetic but then pull back from that due to finding something greater to fight/stand for.**

 **Oh and dialogue is pretty bad. My work is at its best when the characters are fighting because there isn't much speaking or subtlety(Not to say that fight scenes don't have subtlety. They do. It's just that mine don't) I will also say that my naming sense is absolutely atrocious(especially for original skills and spells, but also people)**

 **And the verdict is... It has its good sides and bad sides and ends up being somewhere in the middle. While I feel the good parts outnumber the bad parts, I also feel that the bad parts outweigh the good parts. (I think you get what I mean but just in case you don't I'm basically saying there were more good things than bad things but the bad things had more significance and the good things were a little trivial in comparison.)**

 **TL;DR**

 **...meh**

 **Subjective Review:**

 **Fucking amazing. Best piece of literature in existence. I'm probably gonna get a bookdeal for it.**

 **P.S.**

 **You guys think I should change it to "A Guildmaster's solace"? I mean he kinda cast away his pride in the end. And he never really had much of it to begin with... really I'm just bad at naming things... ugh.**

 **Now for the Review Response(After the epilogue comes out future review responses will be done through PM):**

 **RyuukiVantek:**

 **Well, you got your wish. Though whether it was shameful or not is debatable.**

 **Shalltear Bloodfallen:**

 **I see. Well, you got to see that in this chapter? Though whether it was a pummeling or not is debatable.**

 **SIDoragon:**

 **Hehe, I also loved it when I thought of it.**

 **MadDan90:**

 **Indeed it was. It was pretty damn brutal. I was originally going to describe in more detail what Albedo and the others do to the surviving Slane Theocracy soldiers but I didn't really see the point of doing that since this entire chapter is mostly focused on concluding Azazel's character arc and tying up loose ends(which is basically the entire fanfic). So, I opted to just let you guys imagine what it would be like.**

 **Glad that you look forward to my work. :)**

 **pwashington:**

 **Thanks! I do my best. And yes I did see Overlord 2. I'm excited for Overlord 3 as well. And Volume 13 has been a pretty good ride so far.**

 **PervySageChuck:**

 **When I was writing I pictured a shotput pose style, but really it's up to your imagination what kind of throw Ainz made since I didn't really specify.**

 **TyphoeusFlugel:**

 **Thanks! A friend of mine said the same thing hearing it from someone else really makes my day. Improving my writing is always a fun thing.**

 **I also love large scale battle scenes and warfare tactics which is part of why I am very disappointed in how I handled the two instances in my fanfic that contain elements of war. I feel I could have done quite a lot better with more effort and research. But what's done is done. I'll do better next time.**

 **Oragonking:**

 **That would be true I guess. If you take it from a pure stats standpoint. But actual good players oughta be able to fight back with a good strategy.**

 **Rift Hero:**

 **Well he did incapacitate Rubedo in this chapter.**

 **Main characters don't always win and get what they want. Have you ever read Macbeth?**

 **first time:**

 **Well he pretty much did so there you go.**

 **Azazel:**

 **He did indeed die... after 500 years of being used as a resource that is.**

 **good:**

 **I do my best**

 **loki98065:**

 **Well Nazarick team completely shut Azazel down as you see in this chapter.**

 **I thought I made it clear but Shalltear was placed under mindcontrol again(with the use of Downfall of Castle and Country). This happens offscreen and is implied but never explicitly shown. I thought it was obvious though.**

 **DeathstrokeNorris:**

 **Well thanks for giving my story a shot, and I'm glad I managed to defy your expectations. I know a few people who give me quite a bit of crap and won't give my story the benefit of the doubt just because it has an OC as the main focus.**

 **I wouldn't go as far as claiming my Overlord fanfic to be one of the best as there are a lot of things I feel were poorly done in contrast to other fanfics I've read. But nevertheless, thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it.**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N:** **Haha! I bet you thought I would be gone for another 3 months. Well, since I'm feeling like working extra hard(and plus it's only like 2k words) here's your epilogue a little earlier than** **usual :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord.**

Ainz glared hatefully at the unconscious Azazel as he was brought away by Nigredo. While on the outside he had seemed to calm down, in truth he was still seething with anger. All this time his emotion inhibitor had been setting off non-stop, but his emotions just kept rising back. Each time faster than the last. In fact his momentary calm brought by the emotion inhibitor only seemed to make him even angrier.

 _"That motherfucker. That hateful son of a bitch. If I could think of the worst possible thing you can do to a person I'd do it to him 100x over and it still wouldn't be enough!"_

Ainz shouted angrily within his thoughts, cursing Azazel's very existence.

 _"To think he had such a petty reason for attacking me unprovoked. Just thinking about it makes me want to rush over and put him through the worst pain with my own hands."_

Ainz raised his skeletal hands to eye-level as if staring them down, and simply imagined the act of wrapping them around that trash's neck and choking the bastard.

 _"Ahh... no good, no good. I have to calm down before I go to meet with Albedo. I can't let them see me like this. How could anyone think an apology from an angry man to be sincere. Haaa... Calm down, Calm down Ainz... Calm down."_

In the end Ainz spent an odd 6 minutes or so repeating "calm down" within his head like some sort of magic spell. And eventually he managed to calm down. Thus,he finally noticed his surroundings and saw that Nigredo had returned. Ainz inwardly blushed at the thought of Nigredo hearing him chanting like an idiot, but quickly glossed over it by giving her an order.

 _"Nigredo, bring Rubedo over to Pestonya for healing. Aftewards, maybe watch Neuronist's handiwork. Since the girl was defeated by that dragon perhaps she'll find his screams uplifting."_

Though the girl seemed hesitant at first, upon hearing the mention of Azazel and watching his torture,Nigredo quickly went on her way after a quick "Yes, Ainz-sama. It will be done."

Seeing her excitedly run off to complete her task, Ainz began to want to accompany her in watching that bastard Azazel get tortured.

However, he had more important things to tend to. Thinking about it caused a gloomy, regretful look on Ainz as he opened a [Gate] to the Katze Plains.

As he emerged into the other side, he was met by the sight of all the guardians prostrating themselves. As soon as his feet made contact with the dust of the plains and the [Gate] spell behind him closed, the guardians all shouted out in unison.

"We the Floor Guardians of Nazarick apologize for failing our duties! Even death would not be a fitting punishment for our transgressions.."

Among them, Demiurge, Cocytus, and Shalltear shouted more words afterwards.

"Please punish us by all means! But let the other guardians live. We are willing to take full responsibility for all the failures that had transpired these last few months. No, in fact we beg to take full responsibility."

The three were quite clearly distressed. Even the perpetually suave Demiurge had an uncharacteristic faltering in his voice. It was clear that their failures had done great harm to their mental state.

However, for Ainz their response was quite distressing as well.

 _"If they're like this even after I failed them and caused everything because of my negligence then how will I ever forgive myself! They're loyal to a fault!"_

In his distress, Ainz lost control of his emotions and ended up shouting at them in frustration.

"All of you! What are you doing prostrating yourselves. Stand up right this instant!"

All of the guardians collectively flinched but remained in their positions. So, Ainz repeated himself.

"I told you to stand up."

His words were softer this time but the manner in which he spoke betrayed his true feelings. All at once, the guardians stood up. He looked them all in the eyes as they looked at him with some hesitation. When his eyes landed on the trio that had been mind controlled they almost averted their eyes, but in a show of respect they kept their gazes on Ainz who had locked onto them.

And then with all the shame he could muster he immediately prostrated himself before them.

"The three of you. I am so deeply sorry! Because of me- because of my negligence you had been forced to go through such things. To the other guardians as well. To have been forced to fight amongst yourselves... I am truly ashamed!"

All at once several comments of complaint rose up. Words such as, "To prostrate your divine self before those who could be called traitors, how unthinkable!... Ainz-sama please stand!" and "How could it possibly have been the fault of Ainz-sama! This was clearly a mistake by us who should have been serving as your immaculate hands and feet and yet have hindered your great plans!" flew about. But Ainz paid them no heed and simply silenced them with a shout.

"Enough! I will accept no complaint!"

With that the guardians all obeyed, albeit hesitatingly. It seems the scarcity of times where Ainz raised his voice at them had increased the shock factor behind his angered shout causing everyone to comply.

Seeing that they were now more receptive, Ainz spoke once more.

"I have clearly displayed my inability as a leader, and as your master. If any of you should choose to leave my rulership, I will not hinder you. Instead I would support you with all I have. Is there anyone"

"Never!"

The shout was quick, clear, and concise. And though it was the answer Ainz expected, he couldn't help but be frustrated at the fact that nobody blamed him when he was clearly at fault for the terrible events that had unfolded. This left a bad taste in Ainz's mouth, but since he knew that he could not possibly change his stubborn subordinates minds he decided to just let it go for now until the day they had matured enough to realize that he was not infallible.

He thus regained his calm, and regal demeanor.

"I see. So, I take it you are all determined to take the responsibility on yourselves."

"Yes."

Their answers were quick and unified, like they had practiced the exchange beforehand. Though that was impossible as it would take quite the sage to be able to foresee a conversation in its entirety.

"I see. Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to punish you."

Of course Ainz had no intentions of actually doing that, it would take quite an audacious boss to do such a thing after causing grief to his subordinates. Instead he gave them a reward disguised as a 'punishment'.

"Then Demiurge, Cocytus, and Shalltear. The three of you shall accompany me to the last stronghold of the masterminds behind Shalltear's first incident. I will have you all personally clear the evidence of your mistakes."

The faces of the three distorted as they understood that this was more of a reward than a punishment. But considering the crimes they've committed they had absolutely no right to protest and so they reluctantly agreed.

"Y-Yes. We understand, Ainz-sama."

Not wanting them to change their minds, Ainz quickly created a [Gate].

Before stepping through it he ordered Albedo and the others to return to Nazarick, and they agreed despite being hesitant.

Ainz then stepped through the [Gate] and found himself standing before a particularly impressive looking door. It's effectiveness was proved by the fact that none of the hundreds of mid-level troops he had sent here had so much as scratched it.

Unfortunately for those hiding behind it, however, Ainz was here now. He took out an artifact left behind by one of his former guild mates that could emulate the lock picking skills of a high-tier level 100 thief. Though it was a rare artifact, Ainz had no qualms with using it in order to exact retribution upon those who hid behind the door.

Thus, the door very quickly opened and revealed a very confused set of 200 people, and protecting them from the front was a fairly sizable contingent of soldiers. However, such details were inconsequential for Ainz and he simply saw them as lambs for slaughter.

With one word, he pronounced their fates.

"Go."

Instantly, Demiurge, Cocytus, and Shalltear rushed forward instantly powering through half of the soldiers in the contingent after their first hit, and then wiping out the remaining half after their second hit. Their strikes were powerful but sloppy, very emotionally driven. But given their mental states, these kinds of actions were not surprising at all. And it shortened the time it took to clean the room out as well. Normally if you factored in Demiurge's sadistic nature, and Cocytus' warrior pride this event would have taken much longer.

The room was cleared out in a measly 50 seconds. But seeing that the trio had enjoyed spilling the blood of these annoying bastards Ainz felt relieved.

He then created another [Gate] spell connecting to Nazarick.

"The three of you, take the corpses and the treasure and bring them back to Nazarick. Call Pandora's Actor and have him bring these treasures to our own treasury, I suppose I'll leave the corpses to Demiurge for more experimentation."

Though the three still seemed to be a little dissatisfied they still followed orders.

Satisfied, Ainz stepped through the gate and upon entering Nazarick used his ring to teleport to the cold prison at the 5th Floor.

Upon arriving, he saw a confused Nigredo and a smiling Rubedo with a bowl of what seemed to be stew.

 _"Wait a minute... smiling?"_

Ainz did a double take and saw that Rubedo was indeed smiling.

He turned to Nigredo who simply shook her head.

"I do not understand either Ainz-sama she suddenly became like this after eating the stew."

 _"Heh~ Stew, huh. So she's a food a fanatic? Considering that Tabula Smaragdina was Rubedo's designer I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. He did love his gap moe after all. A normally emotionless girl breaking into a smile after eating food certainly fits the bill."_

Upon thinking about it further, Ainz decided that this was certainly the case.

He then turned back to Nigredo.

"Stew, you say? As far as I know all the ingredients we have are suited for more complex dishes, Pestonya, and Yuri our only cooks also would never cook something as simple as stew. How on earth did Rubedo get some stew?"

"Ah, We had the new maid Tsuareninya cook it using the meat that Neuronist had flayed from the new captive."

"Hoh~ So, Neuronist has already begun making use of that bastard. Good."

Pleased at Neuronist's pace, Ainz was going to teleport to her torture room, but upon thinking about having to see that bastard's face so soon after he had pissed him off so badly, Ainz decided not to do so and instead teleported to the throne room where Albedo was waiting.

Meanwhile, Nigredo who was still observing Rubedo was stuck in her thoughts.

 _"This girl... as I thought even when she changes she is still suspicious. In fact she's grown even more suspicious now than she was before this abrupt change... Spinel, I swear on the Supreme Beings' names I will not let you harm Nazarick!"_

As Nigredo hardened her resolve, Rubedo decided to lick the remaining pieces of meat and sauce off of the bowl in her hands. Her licking was so violent that cracks had begun to form on the bowl.

Witnessing that Nigredo simply thought.

 _"Before that, I should stop her from harming that bowl."_

* * *

Out in a forest in the middle of nowhere, an old lady with a blade swinging from where it was attached ever so slightly was walking through this thick forest. Though it sounded simple, this would normally be an arduous task for one as aged as this granny. But fortunately, this old woman was a hardened necromancer who had gone through adventures so epic that it was the kind only found in myths and folklore and as such she had no problem traversing the uphill river path. Her strength, however, did not stop the old woman, Rigrit, from grumbling a few complaints.

"That damned Tsa, making an old lady like me do such hard work."

Though Rigrit complained she knew very well the importance of the task he had given her and so she left the complaints at just that, complaints. Thus, Rigrit trudged onwards with no pause in her step. After a few hours of such walking, Rigrit finally reached the road she was looking for. This was the road that led straight to the Slane Theocracy Capital. Rigrit, who had been tasked with a reconnaissance mission, was planning on spending a few days at the Slane Theocracy before setting off for the Sorcerer Kingdom. Although the two nations were at war, she knew that they were currently in conflict at the Katze Plains so the capital should not be in any danger for the time being.

Thus, Rigrit continued to walk down the path. But halfway through she came across something strange.

 _"Now why on earth would there be a naked half-elf girl in the middle of the road?"_

Intrigued and confused, Rigrit inspected the girl and found that she was wielding a particularly eye-catching dagger. She bent over to grab it and inspect it but as soon as she did the sword attached to her flew off her waist and towards the dagger. The dagger, meanwhile, levitated in the air. As soon as the two made contact, Rigrit's blade was magically deconstructed and then refashioned around the dagger. Within seconds a completely new blade was floating there, and then once more settled within the girl's hands.

"T-The G-Guildweapon!?"

Rigrit ,in astonishment, attempted to reach out and grab the sword, but the blade suddenly flew up and swung at her leaving a deep cut on her arm. If Rigrit had not stepped back at the last moment, that one swing might have cut her down. Confirming that Rigrit would no longer try to take it, the sword settled back into the naked girl's hands. Realizing that the naked girl was more than met the eye, Rigrit summoned an undead creature to carry the girl with and quickly turned around and made her way back to Tsa's place.

 _"Tsa, my old friend. I'm sorry for not completing your request, but you're probably going to thank me for this. This girl might hold the key that we need, I sense tremendous power within that blade."_

Later on Rigrit would find out that her encounter with this girl had actually saved her life. Were it not for this girl she would have likely continued towards the Theocracy's capital which at the time had not only been wiped from the face of the planet, but was also teeming with creatures far too powerful for Rigrit to handle.

 **A/N:SO. It's finally over. This is the first fanfiction I've ever started and completed.**

 **It's also my first fanfic to reach double digits in followers, favorites, and reviews.**

 **As for views well, IT'S OVER 9000.(Over 10,000 actually but like it doesn't fit with the meme so...) Which is just amazing for me, the most I've ever gotten till now was like 200.**

 **This fanfiction was a lot of firsts for me and it was really a fun experience writing this.(Though I did get tired of the fic itself, reading reviews is still one of my favorite pastimes, despite the fact that they usually take only a few seconds to finish. I hope in my future fics I'll have even more reviews to read through.)**

 **All that being said this experience wasn't all ups there was a period of time where I had pretty much given up on this fanfiction due to a lot of hate I received for writing 'another OC Fanfic'(When I first started writing this fanfic I had no idea how bad the stigma against OC's was in the overlord community. Like holy hell you guys HATE original characters. Welp. Lesson learned I guess. I'll be staying away from OC's as much as I can probably since you guys seem to dislike them so much. Although I'm a bit of a rebel so don't hold me to that :P. At the very least I can safely say that my next fanfic will be Nazarick centered. Probably. Well... I'm not too sure actually. I'm torn between choosing a Nazarick centered idea for a story idea that I like and choosing an OC-centered idea that I'm in love with. It's quite difficult to pick which to do first.) but thanks to a good buddy of mine(Can I call him that I wonder. We don't really know each other that well, but we have exchanged a lot of pm's and I've consulted him quite a bit) I got inspired to continue with it.(You know who you are ;) )**

 **And I'm glad I did. Writing is really a lot of fun. Even if I get hate for it.**

 **The process of writing is especially intriguing for me. I had a story board for this fanfic, I'd carefully laid out all the plot points and important events in the story. But somehow the whole thing got all jumbled up by the end of it. Soooooo many things were changed and edited, and the end product I find myself holding is quite different from what it was originally intended to be.**

 **To give you some context let me tell you about a few of the events that were originally supposed to happen(I would copy-and-paste my outline but at some point I deleted it because I realized it was going to be impossible for me to stay faithful to it, and at that point many of the events listed in the outline were no longer possible to do without awkwardly forcing things)**

 **So let me list them down for you in number list fashion:**

 **1.)Azazel was going to annihilate the Beastman army invading the dragonic kingdom this was originally going to be the time where he unveiled the [Mjolnir Skill Boost] thing. (This plan changed relatively quickly. Lol. Chapter 1 and I already started changing things)**

 **2.) Instead of the Slane Theocracy challenging the SK alone it would have been an alliance formed with the Holy Kingdom, the Empire, the Draconic Kingdom, the Agrande Republic, Blue Rose, Re-Estize Kingdom, and the city-state alliance. Fluder was going to snitch on the Empire and instructed by Ainz to destroy the Empire or hold them back so they don't get to join the main battlefield. Renner was going to snitch on the Kingdom, and the Pleiades were going to be dispatched to destroy them. The Pleiades wreaks havoc, kills Brain Unglaus, and forces Blue Rose into a corner but then Zesshi and the BS show up and the tables turn. The Pleiades retreat but the kingdom is pretty much done for. Rubedo was going to single handedly destroy the entire city-state alliance. 3.)Shalltear in her mind-controlled state was going to be commanded to unify the various demi-humans around the holy kingdom and use them and her gate powers to launch a sneak attack from the Great Forest of Tob, but Aura was unexpectedly ready for that possibility and thus a battle between Aura's magic beasts, the lizardmen, Hamsuke, Go Gin, The Naga, and Shalltear and all the demi-humans she forcibly tamed was going to ensue. (Aura lost and Shalltear kills her)**

 **4.) Carne Village was going to be attacked by Thabim's Dragons, but Thabim himself wasn't going to be present. And the Pleiades only show up after Lizzie Bareare dies and the combined efforts of the goblins and dwarves and death knight guards start to succumb to the large amount of dragons. When the Pleiades arrive the dragons start to die off, and they all do indeed die. But then Thabim shows up and the Pleiades are outclassed. At least untill Albedo shows up and curbstomps him**

 **5.) Azazel was going to meet up and have a council meeting with the councilors of the Agrande Republic including PDL. It ends with him and all the military might of the Republic charging E-Rantel which Demiurge and Cocytus have already begun assaulting.**

 **6.) Sebas and Mare are defending E-Rantel and so chaos ensues. It ends with Sebas' retreat and Mare's death. All the armies of the alliance convene at E-Rantel and the leaders including Azazel discuss the next move.**

 **7.) All the remaining forces charge into Nazarick. Demiurge, Shalltear and Cocytus are left behind on the fourth floor to deal with Gargantua. And the rest of the forces continue the charge. They are stopped at the 6th floor by Pandora's Actor transformed into Touch Me. Azazel is hit with massive PTSD and engages PA in a brief melee after much hesitation and realizes "Oh thank god it's not actually Touch Me". He then leaves behind all the forces to fight PA and he himself continues onward. He reaches the 8th floor and duels Ainz and Albedo(who had returned from Carne Village) to the death. And he dies. Back at the 4th floor Demiurge, Shalltear and Cocytus have won a hard fought battle but then *boom* Sebas in his final form pops up out of nowhere and wrecks their ass. Meanwhile the peeps at 6th floor have been wiped out save for Blue Rose, and the BS. But PA is slowly wearing the BS down. Eventually Ainz and all the guardians(except for Sebas) show up, and the guardians who died(including Demiurge, Cocytus, and Shalltear) look pissed as fuck. The remaining forces retreat, but for some reason they aren't chased. They soon realize why when one of the BS has his head smashed in by Sebas in dragon mode. Evileye's last words are "MOMON-SAMA Tasukete!"**

 **8.) There was an ending where Azazel manages to escape with Zesshi and they run off to the centre of the continent to do whatever it is dragons and half-elves do in their free time after being defeated, there was also one where Zesshi escapes and Azazel used some bullshit YGGDRASIL skill to plant a baby in her without needing to actually do the deed. There were a lot of different endings but all of them were scrapped in favor of the one you see now. But hey, do you know what all these endings have in common? None of them involve Azazel winning, in all the situations I came up with he lost. HA! Take that all those haters who kept saying Azazel was gonna stomp on Nazarick!**

 **Anyway, one thing I learned during this process is that stories change. Especially when you're writing them. They change so damn much. You never know what your end product is going to be. But regardless it will still be fun.(Either that or I'm shit at planning things and sticking to said plan. Or shit at writing. Or both.)**

 **Anyway, that's quite enough. I think I've made this author's note long enough. See you all in my next fic!(Which will hopefully come out after Nigel-sama finishes Volume 13's translation. Hell, I might even try juggling two fics at the same time.)**

 **Now then, for the Review Response!(All review response's in the future will be done via PM. As for the guests... too bad. You won't get a response from me.**

 **Review Response:**

 **Guest:**

 **He was in a corner being the badass motherfucker that he is.**

 **But no for real though, Ainz decided to sit him out of that last battle because during the events of chapter 7(Chapter 6 if you don't count Chapter 5 which was a status update chapter) Demiurge shared all his knowledge of Nazarick(which didn't include Rubedo, but did include Victim.) So Ainz decided that Azazel might have a counter plan for Victim if he appeared so Ainz benched Victim and sent out the freshman Rubedo.**

 **Shalltear Bloodfallen:**

 **I don't even know how to respond to finally getting a positive(?) review from you.**

 **Doommajor:**

 **Wow! I always love it when I see long-ass reviews! Thanks a lot!**

 **I'm glad to see Azazel eventually struck a chord with you.**

 **It seems we agree on quite a lot about the pros and cons of my fic. Interesting. Now to address the points you made that I didn't discuss.**

 **1.) The excuse I would use to explain Azazel's lack of preparation would be his unstable mental state and the fact that he's too eager to "exact his revenge!" and as such grew careless. But if I'm being honest, it was really just me not thinking things through in regards to consistency with his character background.**

 **2.) His attachment to Zesshi doesn't actually begin until the end of Chapter 6 where Zesshi accepts him even after he shows her his pathetic, vulnerable side. All the other moments before that were just his virginity and lack of exposure to women acting up. So, I don't really think it was a plot convenience. Though I'm a bit disappointed that I used a trope that I commonly criticize in most LN's and Anime/Manga.(The "You did/said one thing extremely nice for me so I love you now." trope.)**

 **3.)There are three reasons for the lack of other NPC's in the Eight Floor.**

 **#1 What you said. It helps keep it as close to canon as possible**

 **And**

 **#2 We have just as much info about the other NPC's in the eight floor as we do about Rubedo. Making shit up about Rubedo was hard enough. I am wayyy too lazy to do that about all of them.**

 **#3 Azazel would lose all hope of winning if I added other NPC's that he had to deal with aside from Rubedo. Besides a big reason he even managed to win anyway was because Rubedo got quite a bit of damage from the combo that Zesshi and Azazel pulled off(The one that dispersed Rubedo into orange lights for a while) and they would not have been able to do that if there were other NPC's around.**

 **4.)Ah I read through that chapter again and it seems I forgot to put it in, but in my head the idea was Tsa was spying on them from afar using that armor that he controls remotely.(This shows up in Volume 6 intermission I think. Or maybe Volume 7. One of the intermissions for sure.) My bad.**

 **I would't compare my work to actual professional work but I'm flattered that you would do so.**

 **Your format has no problems and don't worry about the walk of text. I tend to do the same thing.**

 **RyuujiVantek:**

 **Well if you consider the fact that Azazel was a top-class player comparable to Touch-Me(which was a detail in chapter 1) as well as the fact that NPC's suck at PvP(as we see in Volume 3 when Shalltear gets her ass handed to her by Ainz) then that analogy of yours would be flawed. Instead of 1 Ant vs Three Rhinos, it would be 1 Elephant vs Three Rhinos.(I don't know if an Elephant is actually superior to a Rhino, but the implication here is that Azazel is superior to all three of the guardians that he mind-controlled. In fact since he defeated Rubedo, nobody in the current Nazarick could defeat Azazel in a 1v1 fight. Though things would be different if Touch-Me were around.)**

 **Personally, I find it troubling and flattering that my story had you raging for days. On the one hand I think you need to find better things to waste brain power on, and on the other hand the fact that you had my story in your head for days is kinda nice.**

 **Anyway, it's a shame my OC failed to catch your interest, if you happen to read my next work I hope you find it more to your liking.**

 **Guest:**

 **It seems a lot of people do just that with my story. Makes me kinda sad, but it is what it is.**

 **I'm flattered that you think so highly of my work and my writing skills. I hope I'll see you in my next fic(granted I wouldn't know it's you seeing as you're a guest account and all)**

 **I'm glad I changed your mind throughout he course of this story.**

 **Also, you wanted that Epilogue quickly right? Well here you go :D. I don't think I've posted a new chapter this quickly since I first started.(Granted the epilogue has like 2k words, and before I wrote like 9k in the same timeframe I took to finish this epilogue)**

 **DeathstrokeNorris:**

 **I'm glad that you're anticipating my next work. It should come out soon after Volume 13 finishes translating.**

 **Yeah, that's what I meant to say. I wouldn't put my story as one of the best Overlord fanfics because I don't find it as good as other Overlord fanfics I've read.(Though that may just be my personal bias against myself talking but hey I think Godsfall, Light's Downfall, and The Forsaken March are all examples of works that leave mine in the dust. I could probably name a few more with time. Enough to knock myself out of the top 10.)**

 **thetabularasa:**

 **Uhm, no. According to Overlord lore, Rubedo is the strongest entity in Nazarick that even Touch-Me would lose to(if we just look at stats that is) there aren't any 8th floor NPC's capable of matching her.**

 **But regardless, Azazel was still destined to lose. I mean... he was like one guy against ALL of Nazarick. He had ZERO chance from the beginning. If I wanted him to have a chance I'd send him in the New World with a Guild Base, and Guild Mates.**

 **MadDan90:**

 **Well I personally don't like my names so that's that I guess.**

 **I'm glad you liked that fight scene I had a lot of fun myself as I was writing it.**

 **If that ending didn't leave you with some kind of taste in your mouth then I would have failed as a writer. And even better the taste you have is exactly what I was going for(probably) well tbh I was going to do an Arche like death where Azazel dies and then his body is harvested once but instead I took a page from your book(or fanfic) and had him harvested over and over for his resources.**

 **TL;DR**

 **That ending was totes your fault. xD**

 **P.S You don't have to be very patient lol. The wait time for this epilogue is pretty short especially if we count the release time from the moment you posted your review then it would have been less than 30 minutes.**


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